CAMDEN
- The first class of culinary students
graduated today from a collaborative vocational
program between the New Jersey Juvenile
Justice Commission (JJC),
Respond, Inc. and Union Local 54. Graduates
were joined by fellow JJC residents and
staff, community members and various elected
officials to celebrate the milestone.
The Respond Culinary Program is an innovative
culinary course that provides residents
of two JJC residential community homes
located in Camden county with extensive
culinary training. The program provides
youth with a myriad of culinary-based
vocational skills to prepare them for
jobs in the restaurant industry.
“The
JJC is dedicated to realizing the individual
potential of youth and working to change
their futures,” said Howard L. Beyer,
Executive Director, Juvenile Justice Commission.
“The JJC is stepping up its efforts
to help juveniles transition successfully
back into their communities. By providing
them with career skills, we can help them
overcome the challenges they face once
they leave the structure of the JJC. The
Respond Culinary Program not only provides
excellent career opportunities for youth,
but also helps them establish relationships
in their community. This inter-agency
and public/private collaboration is yet
another example of combining all available
resources to help enact positive change
in the lives of New Jersey’s youth
and communities.”
The culinary program is a realistic, work-based
learning experience. The intense 16-week
course allows the participants to experience
everyday situations such as punching a
time clock, and the inspection of their
uniforms by a Chef Instructor, in addition
to sanitary practices and food preparation.
“The
partnership between the New Jersey Juvenile
Justice Commission, Local 54 and Respond,
Inc. has brought creativity in programming
and a local neighborhood- based capacity
to the training of selected students.
Respond is looking forward to the expansion
of the program at the present site and
at a larger facility scheduled to open
later in 2005. For more than 38 years,
Respond has worked with local communities
to determine needs and to provide exceptional
services to children, youth, adults and
families. This new partnership highlights
what Respond is about,” said Wilbert
Mitchell, Executive Director of Respond,
Inc.
Local 54 provides the curriculum and funding
for this innovative program, which is
managed by a JJC Youth Transition Coordinator,
who was an executive in the food industry
prior to joining the JJC. In addition
to classroom and hands-on kitchen exercises,
the curriculum includes field trips to
the Taj Mahal’s main kitchen and
Borgata’s Pastry Shop located in
Atlantic City, the Hilton Hotel’s
banquet hall in Cherry Hill, and the Sysco
Food Show in Philadelphia, allowing students
to observe the food industry first hand.
Local 54 was awarded a New Jersey Department
of Labor Youth Transition to Work (YTTW)
grant in 2003. One prerequisite of this
grant project was to develop partnership
with schools, post-secondary institutions,
community-based organizations, and employers
to provide apprenticeship opportunities
to New Jersey's youth.
"This
project is a perfect example of partnership
at work. Aside from the conventional training,
this program gives the youth confidence
in themselves and instills a work ethic,
which many have never experienced. This
program works together to provide the
youth with a comprehensive background
in the hospitality industry as well as
life skills,” said Floyd C. Williams,
Training and Education Director, Local
54.
“This
marriage is one of mutual respect and
admiration which includes a sense of urgency
to see these young adults succeed and
thrive. Local 54, the JJC and Respond,
Inc., an admirable resource and source
of support to the City of Camden, could
not provide these opportunities without
one another, and should be an example
to other organizations that partnerships
do work. The old saying, "It takes
a village to raise a child", holds
true to this program. Though the youth
in the program are not children, it takes
all parties involved to help them become
the people we believe them to be,”
continued Williams.
The students have worked very hard to
achieve the skill level necessary to complete
the program. The JJC, with the help of
its partners in the community, will assist
JJC youth who complete this program locate
employment in the food services industry.
Realizing
Potential & Changing Futures