Hip Hop, is it Ruining Young People?

Are you a parent of the next Lil Wayne or Wiz Khalifa, yet until they BLOW UP, you can't get him/her to get a job or go to school. How many young people are destroying their lives because of a desire to be a rap star? For every Drake there are thousands of young people that NEVER MAKE IT. How many young people have you seen selling CDs in the mall parking lot, during the day time instead of at work or school? Tune in this Saturday for a special "Ray Bell Show on Blogtalk Radio." Watch live on raymondbell.blogspot.com. My in studio guest will be several up and coming rappers. Spread the word! Given young people a VOICE! 

Great line from Notorious B.I.G from the track Flavor in your ear!

The Ray Bell Show Online Radio by Raymond Bell | Blog Talk Radio

The Ray Bell Show Online Radio by Raymond Bell | Blog Talk Radio

Great Parenting - A candid Conversation about Moma Cole 12/17 by Raymond Bell | Blog Talk Radio

Great Parenting - A candid Conversation about Moma Cole 12/17 by Raymond Bell | Blog Talk Radio

Ballou High School Graduate vs. American University Graduate

When I was a a high school graduate, I ran downtown to take the civil service exam to get me a GOOD GOVERNMENT JOB.  Stayed there for about 15 years.  That was many years ago.  Today the Ballou graduate that applies for an entry level admin position, will compete against the recent American University graduate, with a degree in English.  Back in the day kids would come to DC just to get a college education and then they would pack up and go home.  Those days are long gone.  Now kids are STAYING in the DC area, because the JOBS are here!  So when my company has an opening for an entry level position, it would be a waste of time for me to submit the resume of a recent Ballou graduate, they will stand no chance of even getting an interview because of the level of competition.  This is why we created the HOPE Project to give socially and economically disadvantaged young people a marketable skill to compete for entry level employment.  It's working, the class of 2011 have an average starting salary of $38,500.  HOPE is REAL! follow me on twitter.com/raybelljr.  Visit our website for details about the HOPE Project, www.hopeprojectdc.org

Developing Young People for the JOBS that exist Right NOW!

Today I spoke with the I.T. recruiter that hired a recent HOPE Project graduate.  It was so refreshing to here the Recruiter talk about how prepared student was on day one.  Although we are an unfunded program, we have taken the time to properly prepare our students for the skills that are in demand.

The Help Desk Analyst position that pays the HOPE Graduate $44K a years, requires the following skills
1.  VoIP Support
2.  Knowledge of Active Directory
3.  Troubleshooting Microsoft Outlook
4.  Remote support
5.  Using HEAT ticketing software
6.  SharePoint Support
7.  Blackberry Support and Configuration.

Visit us on the web for more information about the HOPE Project.
www.hopeprojectdc.org

DDCA employees help others through the HOPE Project

DDCA employees help others through the HOPE Project

The Prison Industrial Complex

I have a message to the companies that are part of the prison industrial complex., all the businesses that are profiting off sending young black men to prison.  I'M GOING TO PUT YOU OUT OF BUSINESS.  So you better start looking for a new hustle.  We are all tired of watching our kids feel that they have to break the law to survive. We are going to replace your jails with jobs and careers. A "Ray of HOPE" is coming and YOU CAN'T mess with a Divine MOVEMENT. You will LOSE this fight, BECAUSE YOUR ARMS ARE TO SHORT TO BOX WITH GOD. Believe that!

What is the HOPE Project?

The H.O.P.E. Project is a unique technical career training program designed to prepare socially and economically disadvantaged young people for rewarding careers as help desk and application support professionals.  I.T. is the single biggest employer in the Washington metropolitan area.  The students graduate with a toolbox of skills to successfully compete for entry level positions with starting salaries as high as $40,000 per year. The program is a 9 month investment for the participants, the class meets Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 6:30pm until 9:30pm.  Occasionally the class meets on Saturday's from 10:00am until 4:00pm.  The class uses the remaining days in the week to study and conduct research.  We occasionally hold class online. In addition to several I.T. certifications the program includes corporate education courses such as time management, customer service, delivering effective presentations and project management. We include social and career coaching.

We have a few partners that allow our students to volunteer/intern to gain real-world experience.  This addition to the program has helped a great deal.  However, the single BIGGEST asset has been the professional development and soft skills training.  Our program starts with 2 months of soft skills training and ends with another month of it. 

Our graduating students have been very successful landing positions.  I.T. recruiters typically contact our students after they post their resumes on dice.com, monster.com and careerbuilder.com, the DMV has a shortage of qualified entry I.T. talent.

The students attendance is very high, we have a very strict attendance policy, no more than 3 absentees per phase. (We have 3 phases)  one student in this year's program had perfect attendance and one with that missed only a single day.  All of our students had less than 6 total days missed.  (The program is 8 months) The students have to compete for the 14 slots we offer which makes the program very unique and the students understand they have EARNED their way into this opportunity, it really helps with retention.

The H.O.P.E. Project graduates now work for companies such as HP Enterprise Services, Mindbank, Comcast, Evolver, Webster Data & Communications, Technisource, Battelle, RCG Inc. and many  other corporations and government contractors.  Last year's H.O.P.E. Project student of the year accepted a position with a starting salary of $34,500 per year, she was unemployed for nearly one year before enrolling in the H.O.P.E. Project program.  This year's Student of the Year, Brandon Craig is currently working at Webster Data & Communication, with a starting salary of $42,000.  Brandon worked as a stock clerk prior to enrolling in the program.

We recently formed a partnership with Competitive Innovations (cillc.com) a HUB Zone company in Virginia, as a HUB zone company Competitive Innovations, has a very hard time finding qualified HUB Zone talent, like most technology HUB Zone companies very few residents with the skills we teach live in HUB Zones.

Earlier this month,  2011 HOPE Project graduate Syrika Powell accepted an offer with RCG Inc. (http://www.rcg.com/) as a Help Desk Analyst.  Syrika's salary is $47,000 per year, she has two kids three years and six months.

The program is a bright light in the community and the light is getting brighter, the students have nicknamed the program the "Harvard of the Hood".

The H.O.P.E. Project is a 100% volunteer effort.  Our goal was to prove that socially and economically disadvantaged young people can have the American Dream they see advertised on TV, they are just 8 months away from it, when they become a HOPE Project Graduate.  

Here are some photos from our Tuesday night Info Session and Town Hall on Jobs.  118 people applied for just 5 slots, the town hall attracted an additional 60 people.  Council member Michael Brown participated in the Town Hall.

See the pictures
https://picasaweb.google.com/116221124934394750554/110811HopeProjectMatthewsMemorialChurch?authkey=Gv1sRgCMn2-N_xzfOdVg

Short clip of Kendra Smith a 2011 HOPE Graduate now working at Comcast, she has great benefits package at Comcast and FREE cable.  Please listen to her confidence as she speaks, there were 75 people at this info session held at the 7D police station. She did not speak with the confidence when she enrolled.  This is the best marketing in the world for a career training program a successful student.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVkPPz3clXI

HOPE Project Info Session and Town Hall/Forum

The HOPE Project info session and town hall/forum was held at Matthew Memorial Baptist Church. 118 young people attend the 6:00pm info session.  It was very emotional to see so many young people interested in the HOPE Project.

Why I'm so committed to the HOPE Project

My 9th grade teacher got me an application for St. Albans when I arrived to take the test I was the ONLY minority, the other kids were from very good VA and MD public schools. My entire neighborhood knew I was going to take the test, I felt like I had the entire community on my back, my job was to show those kids we were just as smart as they are. My mom and I caught 3 buses from Butler Gardens to get there. I FAILED MISERABLY. I was so upset she let us catch a cab home. Everyone was sitting on the front of my building waiting for me to share the great news. When I returned to school I asked my teacher why she would set me up because I was not prepared to compete against them. HER RESPONSE WAS THAT I WANTED YOU TO SEE WHAT YOUR COMPETITION LOOKS LIKE, AND THAT SHE COULD NOT TEACH ME EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO KNOW IN HER CLASS SO I NEEDED TO STOP EVALUATING MYSELF BY THE PEOPLE IN HER CLASS BUT MY COMPETITION WAS THE KIDS I SAW AT ST. ALBANS. It changed my life. Thank you Ms. Lowery. I hope you get the message here