First Days of Work

Remember your first job?  For many of us, it may have been washing dishes or clearing tables at a restaurant, mowing lawns, or working the counter at a fast-food establishment, jobs that may have put some money in our pockets, but did little to propel us into meaningful careers.  Would you have ever imagined yourself as a 17 year-old high school senior dressing up in your best professional clothing and showing up for work in a high-rise downtown office tower as a trained IT technician?  It would have sounded like a dream, right?  But for students in this year’s Genesys Works program, this is no dream.  It’s a promising new reality.

The smiling faces of John Nguyen and Gideon Ochako as they enter the Accenture Tower in downtown Minneapolis, are but two of the 114 happy faces you will see in the hallways of our corporate partners this week as they begin their year-long paid internships.  This year, 37 companies have partnered with Genesys Works to provide impactful real-life learning experiences for our city’s youth.  We are grateful for the generous support of our client partners and you can see the list of all our 2011-12 client companies here: http://www.genesysworks.org/twincities/Client_Companies/Client_List/. 

To learn more about Genesys Works and how you or your company can help change the trajectory of life for disadvantaged youth, please contact Jeff Tollefson, Executive Director, at jtollefson@genesysworks.org.