Spread the HYPE, Youth in Pine Bluff Are Preparing to Work

In churches large and small efforts are being coordinated to teach youth lifelong skills that they can utilize to become successful employees. The Bible references the work ethic of the ant and church leaders at growing congregation in Pine Bluff are underscoring that principle with practical programs to equip their younger members with the tools to work.

“Probably two years our church decided to become heavily involved in working with our youth,” said Pastor Derick Easter, Senior Pastor at New St. Hurricane Baptist Church in Pine Bluff.  “We asked, ‘How can we get more involved in our community which is having some challenges.’ We decided after-school and summer programs are an avenue for reaching our youth…to give them a safe place and to pour into them.”

The Church built a sprawling 25,000 square foot children’s and youth center that costs more than $2,000,000. There are dedicated spaces within the center for students who are in high school, middle school, and elementary. A state-of-the-art computer center is the centerpiece.

“Everyone wants to get paid, but no one wants to work,” program director Connie Jackson said.

Jackson is now the lead for the new coding program along with Work Keys, which is a computer-based curriculum that teaches workforce skills, offered by the church to teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18. There is even a $500.00 stipend to incentivize the students. And, it is working with phone calls and inquiries still coming into the church as word of the program spreads.

“I just thought it was interesting and something fun,” said 17-year-old Jakeria Jackson. “I want to learn about different jobs, careers and how to prepare for interviews.”

Jackson wants to become a nurse. One of her peers in the program, 15-year-old Braylon Alexander, sees the program as the pathway to various opportunities.

He said, “If you have the skills to work computers, you can get a really good job and scholarships. The things you can open your mind up to…you can experience different learning techniques.”

Keely Easter, who manages the Hurricane HYPE Center seeks to “work with their self-esteem and get them ready for the real world.”

When students arrive for their coding and workforce skills classes, Easter is acutely aware of the need to help the youth shift their energy from an academic environment to one that is “not so structured.”

“I try to have some positive music going on,” she says.  “It’s a Christian channel, The Message. I listen to the lyrics in a song…what message is given, because it’s always something positive.”

She and her husband, Pastor Easter, are committed to nurturing the youth at their church and in the community, encouraging them to utilize today in preparation for tomorrow.

Pastor Easter said, “We all hear the stories of poor customer service and just poor workplace skills. If we are going to increase businesses coming into our community, we need to increase the skills of those who will be working there.”

His message resonates with Jackson, the aspiring nurse.

“I feel that it’s not everybody who doesn’t want to keep their jobs because some people do,” she said. “I want to keep my job.”

Her goals are consistent with the program’s objectives: cultivate a generation of conscientious leaders in the workplace who demonstrate “discipline, problem-solving, and critical thinking” skills. As a new decade begins, the dialogue surrounding the creation of a competent workforce will undoubtedly continue with New St. Hurricane Baptist Church positioned to share with others how it can be accomplished.