Ted Ehrlichman: Journey to Success needs the village's support for our youth

This June marks the third year of our Journey to Success summer youth program.

Over a five-week period, 50 students from Manatee and Sarasota counties learn valuable life and work skills that will help them on a path toward a fulfilling career.

Most of these young adults have no idea what they want to do with their lives and haven't even considered furthering their education.

As an 11th- or 12th-grade student, you would think they should have at least a vague sense of what they want to do in a year or two, and that's where we step in to help lead them in the right direction.

I say "we" loosely, as it takes a village of support and collaboration to keep this program running year after year.

Between the Manatee and Sarasota county school boards, educators, local employers and community leaders, we all help to connect the youth in our communities with opportunities that would otherwise feel unattainable to them.

It's amazing how many of these young adults grew up here, but don't even know what's in their own backyard.

Last summer, we took the group to Port Manatee to see what kind of job opportunities exist for them there. Cornelius was one of the participants in Journey to Success. He had just graduated high school and told us this program really opened his eyes to a world that exists outside of his own perspective.

Just take Port Manatee, for example, and you'll see how different his view was from reality.

"When I hear 'Port Manatee' I immediately think of the jail there, and that's all I thought it was. It's just what I've al

ways known it as based on what my friends talk about. When we actually got there I was expecting a tour of a jail, but instead I got to experience the actual port and learn about all things that come in and off of the huge ships," he said. "It really stuck out to me because it shows that there is more to where I live, it's not just the preconceived ideas I have in my head. How many other opportunities are out there that I have the wrong idea of?"

We hear these misconceptions across the board, and a lot of young adults in our area have no idea of the wide range of opportunities that exist in their own backyard.

This summer, the Journey to Success group will tour a variety of local companies and get to experience first-hand what types of jobs are out there, participate in a financial literacy workshop with Wells Fargo, visit local colleges to learn about educational opportunities, learn the basics of coding and graphic design, get trained in CPR and more.

Not only does it take a village to make these things happen, it also takes funding. We are thankful to have received a grant that allowed us to start this program two summers ago, but at the end of this summer those funds will be depleted.

What it boils down to is that if we want to continue to support Journey to Success in the future, we need funding. We have an extensive network of supporters and I am thankful for where our regional collaboration has gotten us thus far.

These young adults are our future leaders, and I want to ensure that we as a region continue to provide the stepping stones and support they need to remain on a path to success.

For information on Journey to Success, or to become a partner or donor, visit J2SFL.com.

Ted Ehrlichman, president and CEO of CareerSource Suncoast, writes about workforce issues across the region.

This story was originally published May 2, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Ted Ehrlichman: Journey to Success needs the village's support for our youth ."