Hairston, who lives in a shelter with her mother, found out about the invitation one day prior to the event. At the event - her first speaking engagement - she spoke candidly about the importance of giving young adults the opportunity to earn a paycheck, and described how the training and retail certification she received through Goodwill(r) has impacted her and her family.
"The job is important," she said of the position she earned as a result of her training with Goodwill. "My mom is not working right now. She always took care of me; now I take care of her."
Hairston emphasized to the government, industry and nonprofit leaders in attendance that it's important they present job training and employment opportunities to youth in ways that inspire and interest them, rather than as a direct imperative. During the event, she also had the opportunity to speak with President Barack Obama, who gave her a hug as he exited the stage.
"Arnae did a great job representing Goodwill and underscoring the important role youth employment programs play in the lives of young people and their families," GII President and CEO Jim Gibbons said.
The panel was part of a larger White House initiative to expand opportunities for youth, called SummerJobs+. Collectively, organizations are committing to create nearly 180,000 employment opportunities for these youth during the summer of 2012, with a goal of establishing 250,000 opportunities by the start of summer. At least 100,000 of these will be placements in paid jobs and internships.
In late December, GII surveyed Goodwill members about the number of youth they plan to serve in 2012. After hearing from approximately 30 agencies, GII confirmed Goodwill's commitment to hire 1,200 youth ages 16-24; provide more than 3,200 youth with life skills services including communications, time management and teamwork; and offer work skills services to more than 2,300 youth.
Two thousand youth will be provided learn and earn opportunities, where they will gain the ability to acquire their first paid employment position either through the form of paid internships or permanent positions that provide on-the-job training at Goodwill locations. Thousands of additional youth will also be provided with virtual career mentoring and exploration services.
"The youth of today are not just the leaders of the future; they also have the potential to be the leaders of the now," said GII President and CEO Jim Gibbons, who led a breakout session at the summit. "Goodwill's pledge to Summer Jobs+ reflects our demonstration to youth to utilize their untapped skills and leadership, and complete their educations, attain jobs and transition into productive careers."
As part of Summer Jobs+, within 60 days the White House will also launch Summer Jobs+ Bank, a one-stop online search tool for youth to access postings for participating employers.
