Road To Success Highlights

RTS HIGHLIGHTS

Road to Success Youth Program Hits Milestone. The Road to Success (RTS) Youth Program celebrated its 322nd graduate. The program assists 16- to 24-year-olds, who exited from high school, in earning their general education diplomas (GED). Established in September 2012, the yearlong program is located at the George Washington Carver Community Center, in Bunnell. The program’s class hours are from 10:00am to 11:45am and 12:00pm to 1:45pm and tutoring hours are from 2:00pm to 3:00pm Monday through Friday. Class sizes are small, and students generally graduate within 3 to 6 months.“I didn’t think I could get my GED and I kind of gave up until my friend told me about the program and now it’s opened up so many opportunities. It made me more motivated to do something with my life,” said Madeline Taylor, a recent RTS graduate. The main component of the program is to assist students with their academics to gain their diplomas; however, attention is also given to other areas that are beneficial to the youth: post-secondary educational opportunities, pre-employment skills, life training skills and paid internships. Students have opportunities to take a food handlers certification, CPR/First Aid training, and participate in an 8-week entrepreneur class. A fully accomplished graduate of the program not only earned their GED, but is also employed and/or enrolled in postsecondary education and/or the military. RTS has established itself as a successful alternative to students who struggled in the traditional high school setting. The graduation of 300 students demonstrates the success of the federally funded program, which is supported by the Flagler County School District and the George Washington Carver Foundation. Additionally, RTS has a contract with CareerSource Flagler Volusia to provide services to 53 young adults this year. RTS is currently looking for worksite locations to place youth interns. RTS pays their salary and workers compensation.  If you have a business and would like to learn more about RTS’ paid internship program.