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Angel Ortiz
I would like to start by saying thanks to everyone who came out here today to show your support to all of us up here this evening it wasn’t easy getting here it took a lot of hard work from all of us, a lot of sweat and blood in worksites and plenty of brain work in academics and career developments.
We had to stay focused and determined to get what we wanted no matter how many times people told us that we would be a product of our environment and that we would never amount to anything. Sam Ewing once said that “IT’S NOT THE HOURS YOU PUT INTO YOUR WORK THAT COUNTS IT’S THE WORK YOU PUT IN THE HOURS”. And even though we all may have had our own issues with ourselves we found a way to overcome them or at least put them aside to get the things we needed done accomplished. Zig Zigler said “YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE GREAT TO START BUT YOU DO HAVE TO START TO BE GREAT”
And I must say we didn’t start off great but we did start to be great because we over came something that no one thought we ever would. Now to all the people who said and thought that e would be just another statistic, THIS IS WHAT CAME FROM YOUR NEGATIVITY A BUNCH OF YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS WELL ON THEIR WAY TO SUCCESS.
So on behalf of myself and the graduates and the current corp members I would like to say to the people who thought that we would never amount to anything, Thank you so much for your negativity it really got us along way. Now t all my fellow corp members and the ones before and after me,
Regardless of what anyone says to us remember what we accomplished here today and the time that we spent in the work group. We did this for ourselves and not for anyone else no one can ever take this away from us no one can make or break us we are what we make ourselves and don’t ever forget that. We set out to do something and we accomplished it and even though we might have took the road less traveled we got it done and we are all well on our way to SUCCESS. All we have to do is keep our heads up and press forward.
And now I’d like to give a special thanks to GOD cause without him this would have never been possible for me I’d also like to thank Ms. Katie, Ms. Vivian, Ms. Marixa, Ms. Terry, COP, Ms. Ellen, Ms. Lori, Ms. Arlene without you guys I really don’t know where id be today, I really have to say that all of you are a real big part of my success and a big part of the new person that stands here before you today I love you guys. And to all the new staff thanks to you as well because you guys are changing lives everyday you guys come to work and it really takes compassion and dedication on your behalf to do what you guys do and deal with the different things that go on here and still have time to juggle your personal lives with your own families and you guys deserve a lot of credit so thank you. Finally I would like to leave you with two quotes that everyone should take into consideration. One is from Lyman Bryson “THE ERROR OF YOUTH IS TO BELIEVE THAT INTELLIGENCE IS A SUBSTITUTE FOR EXPERIENCE, WHILE THE ERROR OF AGE IS TO BELIEVE THAT EXPERIENCE IS A SUBSTITUTE FOR INTELLIGENCE”
THE OTHER IS FROM GAIL SHEEHY AND IT SAYS “THE SECRET OF A LEADER LIES IN THE TESTS HE HAS FACED OVER THE WHOLE COURSE OF HIS LIFE AND THE HABIT OF ACTION HE DEVELOPS IN MEETING THOSE TESTS”.
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2010 NJ Women's Governor's Conference |
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Corpsmember, Sierra Reevey, poses with keynote speaker (Robin Roberts – Co Anchor of Good Morning) at the 2010 New Jersey Women’s Governor’s Conference.
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CAMDEN, NJ-
Eight youth-serving organizations from across the country recently embarked on an Accreditation Pilot through the National Youth Employment Coalition’s Promising and Effective Practices (NYEC PEPNet). The pilot, conducted over the past 16 months, with support from the William Penn Foundation and registration fees from pilot sites, sought to identify successful practices, foster a culture of continuous improvement and continue to implement a national system of quality standards for youth organizations.
Twelve organizations participated in the NYEC PEPNet Accreditation Pilot, the core component of which involved completing a comprehensive organizational self-assessment and continuous improvement process. Of the organizations that applied for accreditation during the pilot only four received NYEC PEPNet Accreditation, The Work Group’s New Jersey Youth Corps Program based in Pennsauken, NJ being one.
NYEC PEPNet Accredited organizations demonstrate a high level of quality in a range of criteria related to organizational management, program design and delivery, youth development workforce employment, and a focus on youth outcomes. These organizations show an ongoing commitment to continuous improvement, documentation of activities that achieve superior results, and a thorough understanding of the services and supports youth need to develop and succeed. “The pilot process is the first critical step in developing and implementing a permanent and ongoing PEPNet quality improvement and accreditation process,” says NYEC Executive Director Mala B. Thakur. “We hope PEPNet Accreditation will come to represent a seal of excellence in youth programming.”
“Now, more than ever, with a slowing economy, a lack of well-trained, qualified workers, and an alarmingly low high school completion rate, youth programs and youth-serving systems need to ensure that our nation’s young people are adequately prepared to meet ever-changing labor market demands and successfully transition into adulthood,” states Ms. Thakur.
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CAMDEN, NJ-
The Work Group’s New Jersey Youth Corps program was invited to
Washington DC to participate in the taping of video which will highlight
programs across the country which has received stimulus dollars to support
their summer job programs.
The Work Group’s Youth Corps is a voluntary program for young people who have dropped out of school. TWG accepts approximately 100 young eople annually between 16 to 25 years of age. The experience is a rigorous one – a full-time combination of academics leading to GED testing, work experience through community service, work readiness training, life skills, career exploration and counseling.
http://democrats.senate.gov/recovery/ or if you have trouble viewing it you can also see it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpnfduSBkx8&feature=channel_page
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Accomplishments & Recognition |
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The Work Group is the only youth service agency in the State of New Jersey to receive national recognition for its work in the field.
- 1996 - National Youth Employment Coalition’s PEPNet Award 2001 - National Youth Employment Coalition’s PEPNet Award
- 2001 -“Excellence in Corp Operations” awarded by the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps
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2006 - Recognized by the National Youth Policy Forum in Washington, DC in its publication, Whatever It Takes: How Twelve Communities Are Reconnecting Out-of-School Youth. A chapter of the report is dedicated to The Work Group, describing it as one of the most effective programs in the country.
Additional Outcomes:
- 85% of all attendees complete the eight month program and between 85%-90% of these are students are placed in jobs or post secondary eduction and training.
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One third of all particpants obtain their GED while in the program, double the National GED pass rate.
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On average, The Work Group's Youth Corps provides more than 10,000 hours of service to the community each year.
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