Youth Employment Service

Start with YES: Spotlight on Aviv Hilbig-Bokaer

4/23/2018

Aviv Hilbig-Bokaer
Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, Vienna, Austria
Being employed through YES at Alternatives Federal Credit Union was a pivotal moment in my education and personal development. Having the chance to do something professional and serious allowed me to evaluate my goals and make informed choices regarding my future. YES took a chance on me and I am so glad they did. So much of what I learned about professionalism and being an adult was facilitated by my first job.

I am currently living in Vienna, Austria and teaching English to high school students. The job is administered by the Fulbright Foundation and I spend lots of my time exploring and researching Austria and Central Europe.

Start With YES: Spotlight on Brock Gibian

4/16/2018

Brock Gibian
Development Manager
I currently develop and finance large solar installations with a focus on affordable housing, nonprofits and places of worship

As a teen, my YES job was as a youth swim instructor at Cass Park. The majority of my job at Cass Park was to relate to the campers and give them guidance and direction. I often look back at this as an example of why I fight for the environment as I want to protect future generations ability to enjoy the outdoors as I did.

Start with YES: Spotlight on Harmony Malone

4/9/2018

Harmony Malone
Program Leader for the K-1st Program, GIAC, Ithaca, NY

I LOVE the YES program! This program provides you with the fundamental skills that you need for learning how to acquire a job, and it provides you with a guideline to learn how to become independent. I love this program primarily for teaching me that I can do what I love AND get paid to do it! My passion has always been dance and children. As a teen, my job through YES was at the Community Unity Music Education Program (CUMEP), which was a way for me to work with children in a musical way. Today I work at a community center as a program leader, I work at the Community School of Music & Arts as the Hip Hop dance instructor, I have my own performing dance group, and I'm teaching workshops performing and traveling! If it hadn't been for the YES program I wouldn't be as content as I am today! YES is phenomenal and I'm grateful for them.

Start With YES: Spotlight On Felicia Barrett

4/2/2018

Felicia Barrett
Line chef at Mercato Bar & Kitchen in Ithaca, New York.

I first got started with the YES program during my senior year of high school. This period of my life was the most crucial time, and the decisions I made have affected my life, even as of today. I was extremely passionate about culinary arts and the YES program helped me find a career that was suitable. I worked at CTB through the YES program for a few months. CTB loved me so much that they hired me for a summer position before I left for college. During my time at CTB, I was able to learn about customer service and food safety. This was the best job I had in my youth, and to this day, working as a Line Chef at Mercato Bar & Kitchen, I see the customers that I had grown accustomed to seeing ever yday at CTB. I am now a graduate of Johnson & Wales University with my bachelors in food service management and culinary arts. I truly appreciate all that the YES program has done to help me.