The JFY BB was a tradition everyone involved in the planning and operation of the program wanted to see come back. The event is not only an opportunity to generate job pledges for youth, but also excitement for all the youth employment efforts made in our city. (And, as a recent transplant to the area, having lived in several of the countries largest cities, I can say that SF is pretty far ahead of the curve in its commitment to funding and growing youth employment activities. Anyway, back to the breakfast...)
The JFY BB was a labor of love by many people - the JFY staff, several of whom started just days before six weeks of intense planning and implementation began; our colleagues at the United Way of the Bay Area; our supporters in city government, especially the folks at DCYF; our team of Youth Access Point Partners; and of course, a cadre of stellar youth to rock the socks off the employers in the room.
Leading up to the actual day, there were so many decisions to be made - a location, the menu, the design for the agenda, the list of speakers...to tell you the truth, it was a bit overwhelming and I wasn't always sure we were going to pull it off. (Of course, I couldn't let anyone know this, and found it funny when people would comment on how "calm" I seemed about the whole thing.) Many long hours were put in, including a 11pm run back to the office the night before the event to re-print name tags that had errors, and it paid off.
The day of the breakfast came and went before I knew it. The staff and I meet downstairs in the Marriott at 6am to put out centerpieces, organize check-in tables, and trouble-shoot any last minutes problems. At 6:45, our group of Youth Ambassadors began arriving. I was so proud of this group of young people - ranging in age from 14-24. First of all, everyone arrived on time or early. Secondly, they all looked sharp and were ready to work.
The next hour was kind of a blur. I said hello to many people, kept tabs on speakers to make sure everyone was around and received a ton of sincere praise on how well things were going. At this point, I actually took a minute to look around at what we had accomplished and starting feeling the first tingling of pride, not for myself so much as for the team and the program, both of which were really fledglings, but making great things happen for kids.
The hour+ program flew by. Our fearless JFY Co-Chairs, Michael O'Connor and Marcia Argyris, made beautiful remarks about the program and why businesses should get involved. Eric McDonnell, EVP of UWBA, worked the room with his friendly, engaging speaking style and really solidified in my mind why UWBA is such a great home for JFY as we grow into the program everyone wants us to be. Johnny Parker, a manager at the McKesson Corporation, made some great personal remarks about working with youth. I've received a lot of positive feedback and desire to participate based on his comments (thanks Johnny and I still owe you a hamburger). Anyone who was there couldn't forget the incredible job done by our youth speaker - Lily. My favorite line in her speech was "the bigger the risk, the greater the return," such a simple and powerful message for employers in the room. Finally, Mayor Newsom himself championed the caused. It was pretty incredible to see him up there asking businesses to get involved. (If I had any questions about the level of commitment this program has from the City, they were laid to rest when the Mayor stood up there holding a pledge card.)
When the breakfast was over, we had said our goodbyes and received congratulations, and dreamt of catching up on weeks of lost sleep, I realized - the work is just beginning, now we have to turn those pledges into actual jobs! While I could have gotten overwhelmed, I didn't. I actually got really excited. I thought, "Now I can start doing the work I love- connecting youth with employment and seeing how it changes them and our world for the better (I know I'm a cheese ball, but it's part of my charm)."
So, as we walk away from the success of the JFY BB, I'm happy to report that we received real commitments that day and the staff is working tirelessly everyday to bring each one to fruition. There's no doubt in my mind that we'll reach our goal.
Take care,
Y
