As part of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s Earn and Learn summer youth employment program, the Milwaukee Bucks recently hosted 125 student interns for an “Own Your Future” enrichment training session. Mayor Barrett, Journey House Chief Executive Officer Dr. Michele Bria, and Milwaukee Bucks staff welcomed the students before they began meetings with Bucks front office members to learn about different careers in sports.
To begin the morning, Dr. Bria and Journey House staff members led the students in breathing exercises to center the students’ minds and create focus on what they wanted to accomplish during the enrichment training.
“Find your passion,” said Dr. Bria, “and we will help you wherever you need to go find that passion.”
Throughout the 90 -minute program, student interns met with Bucks employees from a variety of departments to get a deeper look into the sports industry. Each session expanded the interns’ knowledge on how a sports team operates on the business end and the expansive employment opportunities available aside from being an athlete.
“Seeing the floor and the arena, it’s like a boost of motivation to do better in school and get to where I need to be,” said Kerryon Taylor, an Earn and Learn student intern.
“I think one of the most important things we can do as adults is create hope and opportunity in the lives of young people,” said Mayor Barrett.
Administered through Journey House, the City of Milwaukee’s Summer Earn and Learn for the United Neighborhood Centers of Milwaukee (UNCOM) allows young adults to gain valuable work experience by working part time at several UNCOM sites including Agape Community Center, COA Youth & Family Centers, Journey House, Milwaukee Christian Center, Neighborhood House of Milwaukee, Northcott Neighborhood House and Silver Spring Neighborhood Center. In addition to working at multiple non-profit locations, the student interns participate in enrichment training every Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.