By Debora Flora
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Retain, return, and receive.
Leaders at Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber and Eastgate Regional Council of Governments continue to emphasize these three R’s in their workforce-building campaign. The message is that a stronger, more equitable economy is within reach if we can retain residents, return workforce participation to higher levels, and warmly receive an infusion of new talent.
Success requires a sustained effort and active participation by the community. The workforce development campaign benefits from new developments and ongoing initiatives, both intentionally and inherently.
Here are three examples:
Moab House is among 15 nonprofit organizations to receive a grant from the Youngstown Foundation in December. Moab House, embedded at the Campus of Care social services complex in Mineral Ridge, empowers young adults who have aged out of foster care.
About 1,000 Ohioans per year are discharged from the foster care system, says Ideastream Public Media. Foster youth are a vulnerable population. The National Foster Youth Initiative in Los Angeles reports that one-fourth of foster youth become homeless within four years of emancipation. Sevita Health, a multi-state specialty health care provider, found that 40% of Ohio’s former foster children did not earn high school diplomas. Consequently, their unemployment and incarceration rates are unacceptably high.
County children’s services agencies provide pre- and post-emancipation services. Moab House, founded in 2020, offers housing, mentoring, and life skills training toward independent living. These are future members of our workforce. Everyone matters in this campaign.
Youngstown East Middle School language teacher Victor Arcenio is a recipient of the prestigious 2024-25 Fulbright Teacher exchange award by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board and the U.S. Department of State. Participants teach, study or conduct research abroad; expand their professional networks; and encourage others to explore international exchanges.
In news stories, Arcenio expressed his desire to enhance cultural understanding among his students. He may directly influence future homegrown entrepreneurs and employers. As The Business Journal reported, the number of business owners under the age of 40 in the Youngstown metropolitan area (34.4%) exceeds the national average (29.3%). A recent trade mission that brought the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce to this region is a fresh indicator of our connection to global economic opportunity. The value of strong communication skills is everlasting.
Goodwill Industries collaborated with the Regional Chamber on compiling a Community Needs Assessment Report that identified barriers to employment. The partners reviewed demographic data and sought input from employers and job seekers. Lack of transportation and affordable childcare and gaps in education and skill development emerged as key problems.
Carol Holmes-Chambers is Goodwill’s new community solutions director. News of her appointment has been received with enthusiasm and anticipation. Holmes-Chambers has worked in education and directed the School and Community Wellness program at the Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board. She also was instrumental in the evolution of Trumbull Mahoning Rise Community Collaborative, where like-minded partners identified systemic barriers to personal and community prosperity.
Now Holmes-Chambers will devote herself to increasing workforce participation by overcoming these hurdles. Rise Community Collaborative has followed her to Goodwill Industries, bringing its momentum to this effort.
As we act upon the three R’s of the workforce-building campaign, let’s add one more verb: rejoice. Pause to celebrate each success along the way. After all, the sum of individual wins is community gain.