Hey Youth!

Welcome to the E3 web site – a place written and maintained by young people ages 14 to 24 years old.  E3 stands for “ Employ, Enrich, Engage,” which is how the youth themselves renamed the Racine County Workforce Development Center’s Youth Employment & Training Program.

In this site you will learn about how over 200 youth participants from all over Racine County spent eight weeks of their 2009 summer.  The E3 program was focused on “green jobs” at 37 sites at businesses, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies.  By the end of the summer, the E3ers spent 8,000 hours in training and completed 17,000 hours of work.  They created recycling programs for schools, retrofitted homes and businesses, removed thousands of invasive plant species, and built some cool things like an aqua-hydroponic fish tank.  

In addition to earning some cash, the E3ers saved the Racine County community money, promoted local green businesses, and improved the environment.  The youth also learned about how to be successful in landing and keeping a job.  They learned about interviewing skills, resume writing, teamwork, workplace safety, return on investment principles, business planning and more.  They also earned job references that will pay off in the future.

This website not only describes the amazing summer of 2009, but there is also information about the green entrepreneurial business program that the youth are focused on now.  Perhaps most importantly, there will soon be sections on this site where you can ask questions about work, learn about volunteer opportunities, find job postings, and find out about special education and training possibilities.  Pretty cool.

If you want to learn more, either stop by the Racine County Workforce Development Center at 1717 Taylor Avenue, or contact one of the people listed below.

Don’t just sit around wishing you had some sort of amazing job.  Make it happen by getting the right training and education, and then work hard to make your dream a reality.

Be refreshing,

Mark Gesner
Youth Team Leader

Contacts:

Maria Nabors
Workforce Development Specialist
Phone: 262 638-6351
E-mail: maria.nabors@goracine.org

Stephen Smiley
E3 Project Manager
Phone: 262 638-6611
E-mail: stephen.smiley@goracine.org

Mark Gesner
Youth Team Leader
Phone: 638-6622
E-Mail: mark.gesner@goracine.org