They came, they learned, they advocated, and they can’t wait to do it again.

Whitney M. Young Job Corps Center made its presence known at the Education Advocacy Conference, hosted by The Book Works, where staff acted as panelists, networked with other organizations and told local youth about the program.

“It was very educational,” said Kim Brice-Hollis, who works as part of Whitney’s Outreach and Admissions team. “It also gave us a chance to network with other agencies and educational groups.”

The conference’s focus was primarily focused on re-engaging young adults whose paths to education had been interrupted. To that end, many of the programs that had a presence at the event, Job Corps included, focused on helping students find alternative paths to an education and a career or supporting them as they pursue those paths.

“It gave Job Corps the opportunity to look at what is out there besides Job Corps,” Brice-Hollis said. “I had a really good time with it. We made some positive connections, and I intend on using those connections.”

But it wasn’t just networking. Job Corps personnel also gave a presentation as part of a panel on alternative educational options, in which Brice-Hollis presented information and answered questions about Job Corps.

This was the first time for this event, and Brice-Hollis said that it was a win for Job Corps and that she was looking forward to the next time.

“There were other agencies and people there that I had no idea about that we could definitely use to help our students,” Brice-Hollis said.