BE Alum appears on Katie Couric Show

Anthony Weaver was 19 years old when he first stepped foot into a Beyond Expectations class. His wish to learn television and video production was granted by a phenomenal organization, One Simple Wish. As soon as walked through the door, we put a boom pole in his hands as we prepared for a mock segment we were planning to shoot at Riverview Studios, a state-of-the art television studio.

He's been with us every since.

Turns out Tony (or as we call him "Wolf") was a natural. After completing our Spring Boot Camp, he returned for our Summer program where he trained as an Intern sharing his new talents with a great group of teens at the Trenton YMCA Leaders in Training program. 

When the opportunity came his way to appear on the Katie Couric show with One Simple Wish founder, Danielle Gletow, he knew exactly what to do. He's since gone on to complete an internship at WPST radio and continues to be a part of our Beyond Expectations crew!

Hear Tony live >> 

Healthy Cooking and Nutrition with Executive Chef Kahlil Wyche

Trenton, NJ - The Young Professionals Leadership Initiative Spring Session continued with an independent living workshop on Healthy Cooking and Nutrition. Executive Chef Kahlil Wyche conducted a session focused on Sanitation and Pathogen Prevention. Students participated in an interactive exercise using their smartphones to identify food borne diseases. The session continued with Managing a Personal Hygiene Program and testing their knowledge of safe food handling under the ServSafe guidelines of the National Restaurant Association.

The rest of the session was spent working directly with Beyond Expectations facilitators, volunteers, and crew.

Students participated in a Skills Assessment exercise that was used to begin creating video resumes, then conducted online research in preparation for upcoming job interviews with a partner company.

The Spring Session will run through March 29 followed by a team community service project.

Trenton, NJ -- Beyond Expectations Young Professionals Leadership Initiative is a hybrid youth media, leadership and independent living program to educate and support older teens as they transition to adulthood. Through hands-on training workshops, we help uncover hidden talents, present alternative career choices with a real path towards successful independence, and offer opportunities to establish meaningful professional relationships.

Working in tandem with local businesses and community organizations, the program is offered in 3 tracks:

• Careers/Employment
• Independent Living
• Media Advocacy

Each student had an opportunity to produce a Video Resume to help showcase their talents and gain an edge in this competitive marketplace.

Our diverse team of facilitators includes corporate executives, entrepreneurs, educators, researchers, college students, journalists, authors, human resource, media professionals and more.

Trenton, NJ -- We're gearing up for our Young Professionals Leadership Initiative with onsite training programs at Anchor House, Inc. Members of their Youth Advisory Council (ages 18+) will participate in the upcoming session with 3 key focus areas: careers, independent living, and media advocacy. The group will also work collaboratively to lead a community service project.

"The mission of Anchor House is to work with homeless, runaway and abused children and youth, from birth to 21 years of age, to enable them to utilize their strengths and the support of their families and communities to help ensure a stable and successful home, “ said Kim McNear, Anchor House Executive Director. “By working with organizations who are reaching out to educate youth, such as Beyond Expectations, and partnering with them to support our youth, we can create an even greater impact on our communities.”

Participants will also have an opportunity to play an integral leadership role by helping to organize community service projects. “Establishing substantive relationships and keeping youth truly engaged is the most important element of our programs and we’ve worked so well together on past initiatives with Anchor House”, said Leontyne Anglin, Beyond Expectations Director. “We're pleased to see our partnership continue to flourish as we work collectively to ensure these young people receive quality programs and access to caring dedicated professionals to help them succeed."

The programs are slated to launch in March and will run throughout the entire year. “We meet youth where they are in life, build on their strengths, establish positive relationships, and provide practical life skills training, said McNear. “We are glad that Beyond Expectations will play a part in helping our youth to become successful.”

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According to the Association for Children in New Jersey’s Kids Count, a startling number of New Jersey youth age 18 to 24 is not working, not attending school, and has no degree beyond high school. 

Providing training programs directly onsite is an example of how organizations can work collaboratively to leverage their strengths and affect positive change.

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