Next Step Students Reflect on Program at Reunion Party
Yesterday, Mayor Shirley Franklin and the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency (AWDA) hosted the second annual Next Step Holiday Reunion, where former Atlanta Public Schools (APS) seniors shared their experiences in the program.
Over 145 students – representing 60 colleges and universities – attended the reunion event, which was sponsored by Toyota Motor Sales. Private community and business partners who provided summer internships and cash donations in 2005 and 2006 also attended.
Justin Pollard, a 2006 Next Step student and freshman studying biology at Clayton State University, shared this experience: “Next Step … The Atlanta Promise changed my life. If it hadn’t been for this program, I would not be in college right now.” Justin received a scholarship and a laptop computer.
AWDA also announced that seven (7) students from the Next Step YES (Youth Empowerment Services) program will attend Lincoln University on scholarships in January. YES is a partnership between the City Solicitor’s Office, the Municipal Court of Atlanta and AWDA. The program has helped more than 330 students positively redirect their lives with GED training, job readiness skills, SAT preparation, tuition assistance and counseling services.
In addition to scholarships and laptops, Next Step helps young people find career direction. Through a partnership with the Atlanta Technical College, hundreds of students have earned technical and healthcare certifications.
Said Mayor Franklin: “When we began planning this program in 2004 we had modest goals thinking we might be able to help 25 to 50 students kids go to college. We ended up with 411 students in 2005 and 696 in 2006. Then we thought we might be able to get 75 kids internships for the summer. We ended up with 300 internship placements.”
For more information about Next Step … the Atlanta Promise, visit www.nextstepatlanta.org.
Mayor Shirley Franklin and Deborah Lum, executive director of the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency (AWDA), host the 2006 Next Step Holiday Reunion. Attendees were participants in the Next Step 2005 and 2006 programs.
Mayor Shirley Franklin and participants in the Next Step Youth Empowerment Services (YES) program. YES helps to redirect the lives of young people. The students pictured attended Lincoln University as freshman through the YES program.
Mayor Shirley Franklin and Jerome Miller, vice president of Diversity and Inclusion at Toyota, and sponsor for the 2006 Holiday Reunion. The Next Step program has provided scholarships, computers, jobs and much more through public-private partnerships with Atlanta area businesses. |
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City Celebrates Culture through Arts Services Program
Through its Contracts for Arts Services program, the Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) contributes to the production, creation, presentation and exhibition of artistic and cultural events throughout the city.
For the 32nd consecutive year, OCA announced the recipients for the 2006-07 Contracts for Arts Services program. This year, OCA awarded $600,000 in grants – a $100,000 increase from last year.
OCA grants help to fund cultural events like the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s A King Celebration, the National Black Arts Festival, Atlanta Celebrates Photography, IMAGE Film Festival and the American Jewish Committee’s Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. OCA grants also help to support collaborations between The Quest for Public Education and young musicians from the Jean Childs Young Middle School jazz band.
“Supporting local artists and arts groups continues to be a priority for the City of Atlanta,” said Camille Russell Love, OCA director. “Our goal is to expand cultural opportunities for Atlanta residents by enhancing arts programming that addresses the cultural diversity of our community.”
For more information about the Office of Cultural Affairs, visit www.ocaatlanta.com.
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Conserve Energy, Take the Change a Light Pledge
Mayor Shirley Franklin and the City of Atlanta Environmental Green Team (EGT) encourage residents to conserve energy by taking the “Change a Light” pledge and replacing standard light bulbs with compact fluorescents lights (CFLs).
The City of Atlanta has partnered with Georgia Power, Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA) and Energy Star for the “Change a Light” pledge drive. Yesterday, Georgia Power provided complimentary CFLs to every City of Atlanta employee who made the pledge to replace five standard bulbs with CFLs.
If all the households in Georgia took the “Change a Light” pledge and changed just one (1) standard light bulb to a CFL, Georgia could save up to 165 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. This is enough energy to light all the households in Atlanta for 170 days.
Visit Atlanta City Hall, Office of General Services, Suite 1225, to complete a pledge card. If your pledge card is complete by Friday, December 22, at noon your information will be entered into a drawing for a GE Energy Star Frontload washer and dryer.
For more information about Atlanta’s Green Happenings, visit here.
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Families Invited to Attend Gun Safety Seminars
The Atlanta Police Department (APD) invites families to attend a series of informative and potentially life-saving gun safety seminars on Saturday, December 30 and Saturday, January 20, 2007, in the Sherry Lyons-Williams Auditorium at City Hall East.
The seminars are free to the public and will begin at 10:00 a.m. No outside firearms are permitted.
Dozens of children are killed – and many more are injured – from gun-related accidents every year in the United States. APD will introduce youth to the Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program. This program has been presented by more than 22,000 school systems, law enforcement agencies and civic groups nationwide, and influenced over 17 million youth.
The adult portion includes a demonstration and lecture on gun safety in the home. Parents will receive child-proof gun locks at the end of the seminars. For more information, call 404.853.4380 or 404.817.7949.
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Mayor Shirley Franklin announced that the City will enter a partnership with Kumasi, Ghana, to help that city with economic growth and development. The partnership was made possible with a $500,000 grant from the World Bank. Other Georgia partners include CARE USA, Georgia State University and the City of Atlanta. Click here to go to Video On Demand (VOD) webpage to watch the news conference.
This is just one of the many videos you can view on the VOD page. Video clips include many of the programs you see on City Channel 26, like news conferences, groundbreakings and other events, as well as special programs that profile City departments and services.
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Rave Reviews!
- The Gallery at City Hall East is currently filled with innovative, unique pieces of art created by award-winning City of Atlanta employees. The City of Atlanta is the only municipality to partner with the National Arts Program to present an annual exhibition featuring the artwork of employees and their relatives. The program encourages individuals at all skill levels to explore their artistic talents, with the absence of high fees and other obstacles that can limit participation in the arts. The National Arts Program provides the Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) with supplies and over $2,000 in prize money for winners. The exhibit will run until January 7, 2007. For the Gallery schedule, visit here
Ernestos Cuevas, an employee in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs (DPRCA) received first place in the Professional category for his painting, “Persecution.”
Dorian Lashae Sewell, an employee in the Department of Public Works (DPW), received first place in the Amateur category for her sculpture, "African Motherhood." |
- The Atlanta Development Authority (ADA), the economic development agency for the City of Atlanta, announced yesterday that Peggy V. McCormick will become its new president, effective January 1, 2007. McCormick brings extensive experience in building public-private partnerships to the executive position at ADA. Since 2004, she has served as ADA director of economic development, where she helped to implement Mayor Shirley Franklin’s New Century Economic Development Plan. McCormick’s primary focus was supporting the growth of 60,000 new jobs in the City of Atlanta by 2009. To accomplish the goals of the plan, McCormick and her team collaborated regularly with 55 economic development partners from across Atlanta including non-profit organizations, other government agencies, colleges and universities and local businesses. McCormick spent the first 25 years of her career with Deloitte & Touche in offices in Atlanta, Houston, and Tehran, Iran. She succeeds Greg Giornelli, who served as ADA president for three and one half years. For more information about ADA, visit www.atlantada.com.
- Zoo Atlanta has revealed the name of its giant panda cub – Mei Lan – determined by the public through an online poll. Mei Lan, which translates to “Atlanta Beauty”, received 22 percent of the 57,015 votes cast. Mei Lan will be making her public debut in the next few weeks. Father, Yang Yang, and mother, Lun Lun, can currently be seen at Zoo Atlanta’s Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Giant Panda Conservation Center. Mei Lan can be viewed Monday- Friday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Zoo Atlanta’s panda cam.
Mei Lan, Atlanta Zoo’s giant panda cub, photographed on October 6, 2006, at 1 month old. |
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Upcoming Events & Volunteer Opportunities
- In Atlanta, every day is an opening day … The Holidays at Atlantic Station. Throughout December, enjoy daily holiday-themed events at Atlantic Station. Events include “It's Snowin' in the Station;" the Atlantic Station holiday market; the Steel Mill Express kids train; horse and carriage rides, and more. For a list of events, dates, times and venues, visit www.atlanticstation.com.
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Job Announcements
With the City of Atlanta’s online application system, you are able to create an account and select a Username and Password and then log in to your account.
After your account has been established, you can create an application by clicking on the “Build Job Application” link. Once your application is completed, it will be stored in the system and can be used to apply for future job openings. To get started by viewing current open positions, click here.
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Weekly Features
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