MANSFIELD — Mansfield City Schools teacher Todd Hoovler and UMADAOP (Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Program) mentor Isaac David are partnering to offer a work readiness program for young men ages 16-19.
The Student Achievement Leadership Training Summer Program is meant to help participants gain job skills and leadership training while exposing them to 16 to 20 hours of work each week over an eight-week period this summer.
“When I was a kid, there were paper routes and summer jobs all over the place (for teens),” Hoovler said. “Since 2008, a lot of those jobs have dried up. Jobs that were formerly held by students are now held by adults.”
Hoovler said he’s been in touch with local professionals, including Doug Versaw, who heads up the Beautification Sector of the Richland Community Development Group. They may be able to help the participants of the program find work in the community doing litter cleanup, painting and other work in the parks.
“Basically, we want to work with some of our underserved youth who don’t have resources — transportation and the like — to find gainful employment,” Hoovler said.
David believes the program to be a much-needed service in the community, saying it will not only help put money in the participants’ pockets, but also help boost their self-esteem.
“We have a great curriculum put together and we can really help the youth in our area,” David said.
Participants will have the chance to hear from local professionals about their field of work and will spend time reading “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” by John C. Maxwell as part of their coursework.
Hoovler said the program is meant to target at-risk, low-income youth in Mansfield.
“What we want to do, more than anything else, is we want to pick 10 at-risk kids who really are hardworking kids and just need a little help getting started,” he said. “Kids who want to work.”
Transportation will be provided to the participants.
The program is sponsored by UMADAOP and other sponsors in the community. Hoovler said they’ve reached about 85 percent of their funding for the program and are in need of $2,500.
Hopefully the program can be expanded in the future if it shows at least a 60 percent success rate, Hoovler said.
