Jobs program helps Wilcox County's young workers succeed in the real world

CAMDEN, Alabama — Benjamin Lightner spends a good bit of his summer getting young Wilcox County workers ready for and busy in the real world.

As executive director of Wilcox Works, a Camden, Alabama, nonprofit that works to connect the people of Wilcox County with employment opportunities, Lightner and his team operate a summer youth employment program (SYEP).

Established in 2017 and executed every summer since, SYEP is primarily for younger residents of Wilcox County, ages 15-21, seeking seasonal or temporary work that could lead to full- or part-time positions.

The program teaches participants how to get a job, what onboarding looks like, and helps to instill in them holistic values that most employers appreciate.

“I treat them like employees at real companies,” Lightner said. “One of the things we implement in the program is a training period (similar to a company’s actual on-boarding process), usually after the initial interview. We discuss how they did in their interviews and what they could improve upon. We also talk about job expectations and what is expected from them as employees.”

To provide each participant employment, Wilcox Works partners with businesses in or around the Camden area willing to take on younger employees, who often have little to no experience in the fields where they are placed or are working their first jobs.

In a few cases, some companies may have trouble finding space for or are reluctant to accept young adults within the program’s age range. However, Lightner is adamant about the importance of taking chances on youth workers.

“The sooner we introduce young people to the process of getting a job and maintaining one, the easier it’ll become for them to maneuver this process once older,” said Lightner.

The exposure participants receive from various career fields also allows them to consider many different jobs and assess their interests. “During this program, you may find that your assigned role isn’t necessarily for you or maybe you like it and want to do something similar.”

He added, “A lot of times, kids are placed in unexpected work environments and are deeply impacted by the experience. They’ll say, ‘I never considered doing this,’ and that instance, along with others, often leads to part-time positions outside the program or consideration for full-time employment in the future.”

An aspect of SYEP worth noting is that Wilcox Works compensates the workers out of pocket; employers, usually county facilities or other non-profits, pay nothing.

Lightner said non-profits generally have trouble finding workers because of tight budgets. SYEP provides them with much-needed help while allowing workers to get experience.

Wilcox Works also extends SYEP’s range of employers to those who have faced challenges and could greatly benefit from having these workers around.

In April of last year, J.E. Hobbs Elementary lost their main classroom building in a fire, its cause unknown, leaving little but ashes. Faculty, staff and students were left reeling in the wake of this disaster but were forced to immediately start the process of getting back to some normalcy for the sake of the children.

J. E. Hobbs is thankful for the selection of workers sent its way. Principal Vernita Laister said she views them as a godsend.

“I appreciate Wilcox Works and this program for the help they’ve provided us,” Laister said. “Funding in education is cut every single year, so it’s hard to get the board to approve workers for extra assistance.”

Through SYEP, Hobbs has gotten three custodian workers, a receptionist and a para-professional working with the pre-K students. She speaks highly of almost every person they’ve hired and is eager to welcome others onto the staff.

“Because of the fire, we’ve been reconfiguring and reconstructing things. Having those younger employees around makes this process so much easier. They have really helped us get our feet on the ground and get things moving,” Laister said. “I’m grateful for each person they send.”

Many youth workers appreciate the roles they’ve been assigned and the opportunities they’ve brought.

Corrina Mack, 17 and a recent Wilcox Central High School graduate, worked under Wilcox County District Judge Briana Westry and her judicial assistant, Samantha Gomez, throughout her senior year. Because of her job placement and experience with SYEP, she applied again for the summer before heading off to college.

Mack said she views her employment at the judge’s office as a mentorship and felt supported inside the workplace and out. “Ms. Westry and Ms. Gomez became the best role models I could ask for. Without them, I don’t think I’d be who I am or where I am now.”

When running for Ms. WCHS, she recalls that much of her backing came from the people at her job. “Ms. Gomez made my flyers, and anytime I held a fundraiser, everyone I worked with was right there supporting me every step of the way.”

Mack said she is also thankful for the people she met while employed at the courthouse. “Ms. Gomez introduced me to members of the group she’s a part of, and on the days we weren’t working, we were always volunteering with them or at Gee’s Bend learning about the quilts.”

Mack said that she has no doubt that being a part of SYEP and working alongside these women changed her life. She said, “I’d do it a thousand times over.” She will be doing so at least once more before pursuing higher education at Coastal Alabama Community College in Bay Minette.

Mack is just one of many success stories resulting from SYEP’s work in Wilcox County, proving that investing in the youth pays off and can produce remarkable outcomes. Wilcox Works is also practicing the ideology they promote through SYEP.

Shanyia Jones is an 18-year-old WCHS graduate and current sophomore at Alabama State University majoring in social work. She will be working at the non-profit organization as the summer youth coordinator over SYEP and is in charge of selecting and supervising the youth workers within the program.

Jones is ecstatic about her position and about what she’s bound to learn during her time at Wilcox Works. “I’m looking forward to educating myself while being here also. I’m a student and young adult like many of the kids I’ll be interviewing. I’m eager to learn and progress alongside them,” she said.

For more information about SYEP or other opportunities that Wilcox Works Inc. provides, contact Shanyia Jones, Jaz Angion or Kierra Jackson at Wilcox Works by phone at (334) 682-6366 or by email at wilcoxworks1@gmail.com.

Kaitlin Stabler, a Living Democracy student at Auburn University, is living and learning this summer in her hometown of Camden in Wilcox County, Alabama, as a Jean O'Connor Snyder Intern with the David Mathews Center for Civic Life. The nonprofit program, coordinated by the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts, prepares undergraduate college students for civic life through living-learning experiences in the summer.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Jobs program helps Wilcox County's youth succeed in real world