Giving Detroit-area youth the necessary tools to build successful careers will be explored during a panel discussion on March 27 at the Federal Reserve of Chicago, 1600 E. Warren Avenue.
Boy Scouts of America
The discussion is part of the Impact Breakfast event beginning at 7:30 a.m. Marathon Petroleum Corp. is hosting the gathering to highlight the Exploring Program which offers youth in the Detroit area opportunities to explore careers before they graduate from high school. Currently, the program includes career exploration in 10 different areas such as skilled trades, engineering, technology, and law enforcement.
Carolyn Clifford, anchor with WXYZ ABC 7 in Detroit, will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies for the breakfast. Panelists are: Sandy Baruah, President & CEO, Detroit Regional Chamber; Rory Gamble, Vice President of the United Auto Workers (UAW); Portia Roberson, President & CEO, FOCUS: HOPE; and Nikolai Vitti, PhD, Superintendent, Detroit Public Schools Community District.
More than 3,500 youth living in Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties, the three counties served by the Detroit-based Exploring program, are participating in Exploring programs. These programs are a part of the Boy Scouts of America and are available to individual Scout councils throughout the United States, including the Michigan Crossroads Council, which offers Exploring programming in Detroit.
“The reality is that we have too many kids getting steered into a college track that they may not be interested in and an equal number of kids who enter college having no idea of how to create successful outcome so they’re immediately employable,” said Anthony Jackson, Group President of TAG, Holding LLC and Chairperson for the Detroit Exploring program. “This Exploring program empowers them to build their own career track before spending money on books and tuition at a trade school or four-year institution.”
Exploring in Detroit is partnering with area businesses and organizations such as Wayne State University, American Axle, and the Detroit Police Department to offer immersive and hands-on opportunities to youth ages 14-21 who attend schools in the city’s urban core. Through their membership in Exploring chapters, these kids meet on a regular weekly basis with experts in their fields to take a deep dive into vocations they are interested in pursuing.
Jackson said he wants leaders of businesses and organizations in metro Detroit and the surrounding areas to learn more about the Exploring program and get involved through sponsoring an Explorer Post.
For more information about the breakfast, please contact Brandon Brice, Exploring Executive, at Brandon.Brice@scouting.org or John Fort, Exploring Executive, at John.Fort@scouting.org.
About Rochester Media