Teens Explore Careers Over Summer

Career Exploration with the Manayunk Design Group

Frank Piller, owner of Manayunk Design Group, grew up at North Light playing CYO basketball in the 1970s. His two uncles also frequented North Light Community Center when it first opened and spent much of their youth there. Piller is a Manayunk local and graduate of Roxborough High so it was his personal and family ties to North Light and the surrounding community that encouraged him to get involved with North Light’s Summer Career Exploration Program (SCEP). This program provides local 10th, 11th, and 12th graders with an opportunity to explore their career interests and gain hands-on work experience. Julian Washington, a resident of Manayunk and rising sophomore at Roxborough High School and Dante Galzarano, a resident of Roxborough and rising senior at J.R. Masterman are interning for Piller this summer at Manayunk Design Group. They are just two of 36 youth that are participating in the SCEP program at North Light this summer.

For Julian, Dante, and the other participating youth, this is more than just a summer job. Inaddition to getting a taste of the working world, students enrolled in SCEP attend weekly seminars at North Light in which the curriculum includes topics such as how to function and communicate in the workplace, career exploration, and useful skills such as interviewing and resume writing. Dante said, “This program is unique because not only do you get a job but you also learn what to expect and how to prepare for a job interview which will be helpful in the future.” Several of the youth go on to continue these jobs throughout the school year which allows them to earn some extra spending money and save for college. Piller sees this program as a chance to teach the local youth some practical skills. He says, “Here at Manayunk Design Group, we are green. We are all about recycling, fixing, and reusing and I feel that’s something I’ve passed along to these boys.” Julian who came to the program with an interest in art and mechanics said, “This program has helped to broaden my career goals. Instead of just fixing cars, I’ve begun to think about possibly fixing up houses as part of my career.”

Julian is working with the Piller Group as a Property Management Assistant. This job specifically relates to his career interests. Piller says of Julian “He is very mechanically inclined, better than most I’ve seen. He is also a problem solver and an extremely hard worker.” Dante is very interested in the field of computer science and is working as a Data Entry Assistant at Manayunk Design Group. “I enjoy working here because I get to work with computers and that’s what I want to do as my job when I finish school. I’m really into computer programming” said Dante, a national merit scholar semifinalist in 2008.

North Light Teen Excelling in Summer Job Program

By Jessica Adelman

Shybree Walker, a 17 year-old rising senior at Roxborough High School, dreams of being the manager of a sports medicine agency that serves players of the NBA and NFL.  He says “I’d like to help people and why not make a profession out of it.”  This summer through North Light Community Center’s Summer Career Exploration Program (SCEP), Shybree is gaining job exposure that will help prepare him to pursue a career in Sports Medicine.  Through SCEP, Shybree has a partially subsidized internship at FitLife, a physical therapy and fitness center on Germantown Ave. in Mt. Airy. 

At work Shybree has the opportunity to observe physical therapy appointments as well as work the front desk and interact with customers.  “I love working here because it focuses on my career interests!” says Shybree. 

Walker is one of thirty-six youth enrolled in North Light’s summer program.  Through the program, youth are placed in six week internships that give them exposure to professions directly related to their career interests.  North Light staff monitor the youth’s progress providing support to the youth as well as the employer during what is often the youth’s first work experience.  Ross Nilan, FitLife’s physical therapy clinic manager speaks of this relationship saying, “My biggest concern was that I was going to have to deal with employment issues.  The follow through and the contact with North Light Community Center has been so strong that I feel confident that we would be able to deal with any employment issues in a positive way.  I think many people would shy away from a program like this, but working with individuals who may have trouble at first is where ultimately we could make the difference. With your organization we would welcome that type of individual.”

Students enrolled in the program attended pre-employment workshops conducted by the SCEP program staff and monitors where they prepared resumes and practiced interviewing skills.  After interviewing with several employers, students were placed in a position under the supervision of the employer who also serves as a mentor sharing his or her own experiences in the workplace.  In addition, students attend weekly seminars at North Light where they reflect on their work experiences and participate in activities that teach work place skills, explore their career interests and prepare them for the future.  These activities include interviews with their employers, team building games, work place role plays, and visits to Community College of Philadelphia and Villanova College.  Walker commented, “In seminar I am learning how to work with others.”

This is Shybree’s second year participating in North Light’s Summer Career Exploration program.  He values the job exposure he is gaining, saying the program “gets your ready for your next job and helps you with the basics of being in a working environment.”  Nilan stated, “the program is very beneficial to the community.  It is also helpful for our staff in our own development in having someone young in our environment who everyone can help grow.  It is a positive for our business, as well as Shybree’s growth as a young man.  I would certainly do it again next year.”

The Summer Career Exploration Program at North Light Community Center is conducted in conjunction with the Philadelphia Youth Network and with support from the Brook J. Lenfest Foundation and TD Banknorth.  If you are interested in learning more about becoming an employer for SCEP, call 215-483-4800 x 107.  North Light Community Center is a multi-service, community based, non-profit organization located at 175 Green Lane in Manayunk that provides vital educational, childcare, athletic, youth development and emergency supports. These programs offer critical access and nourish personal empowerment, positively impacting youth, strengthening families and enriching the community.  North Light was founded in 1936 and serves over 2,700 people annually with a small staff and over 300 dedicated volunteers.

North Light Community Center Paves the Way for an ARAMARK Internship

Filling out North Light Community Center’s Summer Career Exploration Program (SCEP) Application was not a problem but finding the time after school to attend the required orientations with North Light Community Center SCEP coordinator, Billy Eisenberg, during crew season was tricky for Roxborough resident Ethan Wang. The spring of Ethan’s sophomore year at Chestnut Hill Academy was busy with crew practices each day until 7PM, with races and more rowing practice each weekend. According to Ethan’s mom, “We made the time to attend the program meetings, and are really glad that we did because through North Light’s SCEP Program, Ethan was able to learn about the relatively new partnership between The North Light Community Center and the ARAMARK Career Training (ACT) Program.” This partnership was made possible through the Greater Philadelphia Federation of Settlements (Federation), which is a member-based organization that improves the capacity of settlement houses and community centers located throughout Philadelphia. In January 2008, the Federation and ARAMARK launched a 3-year partnership to build the capacity of community centers across the Philadelphia region. Through grants, in-kind contributions, employee volunteerism, programs and events, ARAMARK supports the Federation’s community centers in the areas of Workforce Readiness, Health and Wellness, and Basic Human Services.    North Light Community Center has been a member of the Federation for more than 65 years. The ACT Program is designed to train the best and the brightest from Philadelphia high schools with the goal of retaining them for future internship and full-time opportunities. The application process included: submitting a resume, two letters of reference from Ethan’s high school teachers, his transcript and a personal interview. 

As a result, Ethan was chosen to represent the North Light Community Center in a six-week paid summer internship with ARAMARK. He was very fortunate to be assigned to work in the Corporate Human Resources Department at the ARAMARK Tower in Center City Philadelphia. This was an ideal opportunity for Ethan who plans to major in business in college. Unlike many teenagers who got to sleep late this summer, Ethan was on the bus and dressed for business by 8AM most mornings. His responsibilities included assisting with an employee file audit and organizing required employment documents, delivering misdirected files to the correct departments, volunteering for the company’s Red Cross Blood Drive and researching best practices aimed at marketing ARAMARK to college graduates as a best place to work.    

According to Ethan, “My ACT internship with ARAMARK was a really great experience. It’s one thing to learn about business in a classroom, but this job showed me how even relatively small tasks are really important when you work as part of a team.”  Kathleen Convery, a member of the Corporate HR team, described her experience as one of Ethan’s supervisors in the ACT program, “Ethan was a pleasure to work with and we were glad he was able to join our team for the summer. He arrived every day to work ready to complete any assignments we requested of him in an efficient and accurate manner.” 

People often associate ARAMARK with serving hot dogs and sodas at the ballpark; however, ARAMARK is a leader in professional services, providing award-winning food services, facilities management, and uniform and career apparel to health care institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, and businesses in 19 countries around the world.  ARAMARK is currently in charge of feeding the athletes at this summer’s Olympic Games in China.

The Summer Career Exploration Program at North Light Community Center is conducted in conjunction with the Philadelphia Youth Network and with support from the Brook J. Lenfest Foundation and TD Banknorth. 

The Employers

Bella Floral Design (Marketplace at East Falls)

Charles Tiles

Coyle's Café

Curves of Chestnut Hill

Curves of Manayunk

Derek's Restaurant

Divine Toddler Town Daycare

Dutch Country Goods / John King

East River Bank

Edible Arrangements

Environmental Protection Agency

FitLife

Four Seasons Day Care

John E. McGovern & Assoc. PC

Manayunk Design Group

Manayunk Development Corporation

Morris Arboretum

Mugshots Coffeehouse and Café / Fairmount

Mugshots Coffeehouse and Café / Manayunk

Narberth Family Medicine

Pennsylvania General Store

Smart Start Academy

SportsWorks

TD Banknorth

Winnie's Le Bus

Wissahickon Creek Veterinary Hospital