One of our four values at Youth Solutions is collaboration. We wouldn’t be successful without our partners across the state and this year, we are pleased to share that our premier program, Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates (JMG), has formed a new partnership with the Boys and Girls Club (BGC) of Greater Southwest Michigan. Last month Youth Solutions and BGC officially established a formal partnership to provide JMG programming to youth in grades six through eight. The BCG intends to start JMG at their Fettig Youth Campus in Benton Harbor and then expand to other locations throughout Berrien and Van Buren counties.
SaTanna Warren with Boys and Girls Club of Southwest Michigan said, “Providing youth with the tools that are needed to be prepared to enter the workforce requires teamwork, partnerships, and collaboration. Youth Solutions and The Boys and Girls Club of Southwest Michigan will work together to build a successful future for youth by exposing them to diverse career paths. ‘The future depends on what we do in the present’ - Mahatma Gandhi.”
With this partnership, Youth Solutions adds the first JMG program aimed at serving middle school youth in Southwest Michigan. Along with our two JMG programs offered for elective credit at Benton Harbor High School, and our out-of-school time programs at Michigan Works!, the BGC will provide youth in Benton Harbor access to JMG services starting in middle school, through high school graduation, and beyond.
This is especially exciting because Michigan is the first Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) state to launch programming in partnership with BGC. The BGC, Youth Solutions, and JAG have a lot in common, we exist to ensure youth and young adults have the resources and services that lead to brighter futures. We look forward to what this partnership will bring!