YouthQuest President Lynda Mann with GRL-PWR Founders Bria Toussaint and Royal Phillips
YouthQuest partners Bria Toussaint and Royal Phillips are starting their sophomore year at Spelman College after a busy summer spent spreading the word about their girls’ empowerment nonprofit, GRL-PWR.
The YouthQuest Foundation sponsored their trip to the South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy, a school for at-risk youth near Columbia, where they trained a group of to be GRL-PWR mentors. Bria and Royal said it was a valuable experience for them, as well as for the Cadets.
In this video, they describe what they did during the weekend training session in South Carolina.
GRL-PWR began in Loudoun County, Va., where the program Bria and Royal developed as students at Freedom High School won first place in the 2011-12 Loudoun Youth Step Up competition. Our Co-Founder and President Lynda Mann, one of the contest judges, was so impressed that she offered to help take GRL-PWR to other states.
Besides planting GRL-PWR’s seeds in South Carolina, Bria and Royal have started a chapter at Spelman in Atlanta.
YouthQuest Co-Founder and President Lynda Mann co-hosted a recent Executive Leaders Radio program, highlighting the Foundation’s new STEM project for at-risk youth.
Lynda and program host Peter Schwartz spoke with four Northern Virginia business leaders, including YouthQuest Co-Founder and Vice President Allen Cage, about their passion for their businesses and why they believe it’s important to give back to their communities.
Allen, who is CEO of AOC Solutions, discussed YouthQuest’s focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) training for troubled teens. He also introduced Joshua Wilcox, one of students from the first 3D printing class YouthQuest sponsored at the Freestate ChalleNGe Academy in Maryland.
“I was fascinated with the technology,” said Joshua, who started exploring career opportunities in the 3D printing field after he graduated from Freestate in June. He said the class gave him valuable experience in additive manufacturing — something few job-seekers his age can tell prospective employers.
Joshua added that the Academy, which is run by the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program, helped him turn his life around after he got into trouble with drugs and gave up on school.
“I feel pretty good. I’m actually going somewhere in my life,” he said.
Allen said YouthQuest is so encouraged by the results of the STEM project at Freestate Academy that it’s planning to expand the program to other states and “grow with the technology” by acquiring more sophisticated equipment and opening a lab.
“This is the future” in design and manufacturing, Charlie White said during his radio interview.
Charlie, who owns private commercial lender BLA Financial, praised YouthQuest’s emphasis on technology
“When you’re looking at people who need to have their lives turned around, high-tech is the way to go,” he said. YouthQuest, he added, is “right there in the forefront and they’re involving these kids in it.”
“Education is the key to success in life as far as I’m concerned,” said Paul Gurman. That’s why he has supported YouthQuest for years by making donations and participating in the annual fundraising golf tournament.
Paul is a partner in the accounting firm Gurman and Co., which provides tax and audit services for the Foundation. Besides the professional connection, he has a personal interest in YouthQuest’s mission to help at-risk children.
“Everybody needs some help,” he explained. Although Paul grew up in “a solid home with a close family,” he said he’s seen plenty “kids without help.”
“That’s a shame. If I can help in any way to strengthen their opportunities, I want to.”
Making a Difference
Paul pointed to the students from the 3D printing class as examples of young people who are seizing opportunities.
“They really are committed to improving themselves,” he said. “We just need to be able to make that path a little easier and that’s what YouthQuest is doing.”
Michael Garcia at YouthQuest’s 2012 golf tournament
Restaurant owner Michael Garcia said he was drawn to YouthQuest by Lynda and Allen’s “passion to make a difference” in the lives of at-risk kids. He plays every year in the golf tournament and has hosted YouthQuest events at his restaurant, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar in McLean, Va.
It was “eye-opening” to spend time with the STEM project students during an awards luncheon at Fleming’s in June, said Michael.
“I can see in them the appreciation and that somewhere in their mind they know this is their last stand.”
Michael is convinced that YouthQuest and the Freestate program are changing lives. He recalled his conversation with one of the students.
“You could see him planning his future out and a short time ago that wasn’t possible. His future was going to be… dead, sooner than later. He was going down the wrong path. But now you watch the sparkle in this guy’s eyes,” he said.
“Man, these people are making a difference!”
Giving Back Is Good Business
Supporting organizations that make a difference doesn’t just make business leaders feel good. It’s good for business.
“Problems need to have solutions,” said Michael. “So if people associate Fleming’s with helping, they’re going to want to come in and be guests.”
Paul agreed that giving back to the community helps get his business noticed by potential clients. His personal philanthropy also sets an example for his staff. However, the benefits go beyond that.
Being at the point in his professional life where he can use his success to help others gives him “a good feeling,” Paul said.
“It may not be all the monetary success in the world, but when I lay my head on my pillow at night, I can sleep and I know that I’ve done a good job.”
Cadets from YouthQuest's 3D printing project at Freestate Challenge Academy received certificates and tablet computers at an awards ceremony June 11.
Eight Freestate ChalleNGe Academy Cadets who participated in the first 3D printing class sponsored by The YouthQuest Foundation were honored at an awards ceremony on June 11.
The students in this STEM project for at-risk youth spent 30 hours learning to design and fabricate objects using Moment of Inspiration modeling software and CUBE 3D printers.
The program at Maryland’s Aberdeen Proving Ground developed problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, along with providing practical, hands-on experience that will give these teens an advantage if they choose to pursue a career in the rapidly growing field of additive manufacturing.
That’s the lesson Cadet Adonis Gonzales said he learned by taking part in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) project for at-risk youth sponsored by The YouthQuest Foundation.
Gonzales and seven other Maryland Freestate ChalleNGe Academy Cadets spent five months learning about the cutting-edge technology of 3D printing in classes led by YouthQuest volunteer Tom Meeks. They used Moment of Inspiration modeling software donated by Triple Squid Software Design and CUBE printers given by 3D Systems in their training at Aberdeen Proving Ground.
On June 6, the Cadets visited Northern Virginia to see how businesses use 3D printing.
The first stop was Prototype Productions, Inc. in Ashburn, where designers and engineers showed how the company creates a variety of products, including military gear and medical devices. The Cadets were especially impressed to hear CEO Joe Travez describe how he and his brother started the business in their garage two decades ago with just $500, a dream and a supportive family.
Next, the Cadets toured the 3D Systems facility in Herndon where the CUBE printers they used in class were made. They marveled at the sight of shelves filled with printers being tested at the end of the assembly line – each machine fabricating a small plastic shoe, layer by layer.
It was clear from the questions they asked during their tours that the students were making connections between what they had done in class and what the employees at PPI and 3D Systems do on the job. Besides getting a taste of 3D printing on an industrial scale, the Cadets saw the importance of creativity, collaboration and perseverance in the workplace.
According to Cadet Joshua Wilcox, the field trip “opened my eyes” to the job opportunities related to 3D printing.
Cadet Nancy Tapia-Loza had been considering a federal law enforcement career, but she said she changed her mind and now wants to explore engineering because of her experience in the 3D printing class.
During a recognition luncheon for the Cadets, YouthQuest President Lynda Mann announced that their instructor, Tom Meeks, had been chosen as the Foundation’s Volunteer of the Year.
The YouthQuest Foundation is a tax-exempt nonprofit that raises funds to provide academic and vocational development, as well as life-enriching experiences, for America’s at-risk youth.
The Freestate Academy is part of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program. Its mission is to reclaim the lives of high school dropouts by giving them the education, life skills, values and self-discipline they need to become productive citizens.
Lynda Mann speaks about dropouts at the Vistage All-City conference in Tysons Corner, Va., April 25
YouthQuest Foundation Co-Founder and President Lynda Mann spoke to CEOs from the Washington, DC area on April 25 about how they can help at-risk youth.
Lynda’s presentation at the Vistage All-City conference in Tysons Corner, Va., outlined the scope of the nation’s chronic high school dropout problem and its costs for businesses, society and the teens themselves. She challenged business leaders to respond in four ways.
Review your Employee Assistance Program to make sure it addresses problems at home or at work that could cause family turmoil and lead a child to give up on school.
Review your educational assistance offerings to make sure employees have opportunities for continued learning. This improves employees’ work performance and confidence, and sends a message to their children about the importance of education.
Engage your local community by getting personally involved to understand issues, needs and opportunities in local schools. Hold one-on-one or small group meetings with potential dropouts.
Support skills training programs so teens who do drop out can learn a trade that will give them a chance to become productive citizens.
With the help of programs the YouthQuest Foundation supports, at-risk youth develop the vocational and life skills they need to fulfill their potential.
For more information about how you and your company can help address the dropout issue, please contact us at info@youthquestfoundation.org or call (703) 234-4633.
