The Charleston Job Corps Center (CJCC), operating under Horizons Youth Services (HYS), joined Job Corps Centers across the nation to observe Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with community service on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017 at South Charleston Middle School (SCMS).

Y2Y (Youth-2-Youth) Campaign is a student-led initiative to prevent violence on Job Corps centers and their local community. Y2Y Student Ambassadors and leaders will work to implement various programs, speakers, events and community support in this ongoing initiative.

Henry Graves, Principal at South Charleston Middle School extended the invitation for Y2Y Ambassadors and the center’s SADD Chapter to speak to the 6-8th grade students at an Anti-Bullying Assembly in honor of Dr. MLK Day, which was observed Monday, Jan. 16, 2017 as a national holiday (schools closed). South Charleston Middle School has a student population of 375 students, with a strong emphasis on student achievement and high academic performance.

Y2Y Ambassadors and SADD Chapters students included Kyle McAninch, who shared violence statistics; Tiffani Jackson presented on “Mean Girls”, which is another form of bullying through teasing, name calling and intimidation, and Keanu James presented on “Bullying”, “Never becoming a bystander to bullying” and “What to do if you are being bullied”. Deion Lee was the last student presenter, and he shared his personal struggles on the way to success in the boxing ring and Substance Abuse Prevention. SCMS students favorably responded to the presentation and received handouts at the end of the assembly.

If you would like to schedule a presentation by the Y2Y Ambassadors and SADD Chapter for your local school or organization to prevent violence and substance abuse, please contact Tia Welch, BCL and SADD Chapter Facilitator at (304) 925-3200.

Job Corps is a no-cost education and career technical training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor that helps young people ages 16-24 improve the quality of their lives through career technical and academic training. Job Corps is in 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The Charleston Job Corps Center is overseen by the Philadelphia Regional Office of Job Corps and is operated by Horizons Youth Services.