Celebrating Employment

It is hard to believe that we are closing in on the end of February. The first 4:13 Strong class of 2019 has completed the classroom portion of the program and is now ready to move into the employment phase. Many of us take employment for granted, but for these 14 young men, this is a significant milestone.

Most of these men have not had examples in their life of what employment should look like. They have grown up in an environment where it is acceptable, and sometime even expected, that the women work while the men spend time messing around on the streets. For the men that have worked, those jobs have largely been temporary, fast-food or illegal.

Six weeks ago, the idea of a job that has regular hours, offers a weekly paycheck and provides benefits and the opportunity for advancement seemed like an impossible dream for the men in our program. But this week, that dream is actually coming true. We are going to see 14 men put a life of crime and unemployment behind them and move into a life of purpose, starting with meaningful full-time employment. This is a huge accomplishment and we are going to celebrate what these men have done.

Career Fair: On Monday, 2/25, 10 of Nashville’s top construction companies will be participating in the first ever 4:13 Strong Career Fair. These companies will be coming to our campus and setting up a booth so they can share about their organization and begin competing for the 4:13 Strong men.

Interviews: The companies from the Career Fair will be back on campus the next two days to conduct onsite interviews with the guys that were interested in their organization.

Signing Day: On Friday, 3/1 we are going to have a huge celebration at Signing Day. Following the example set by the NCAA on their National Signing Day, we are going to give the 4:13 Strong men a chance to publicly declare the employer that they have chosen to work for. They will put on a company hard hat and company jacket as they officially accept the offer of employment.

Our goal is to pack the building on Signing Day with people who understand the significance of this accomplishment and who would like to help these men celebrate this milestone event. If you are interested in joining us for the 4:13 Strong Signing Day, please contact [email protected]. Lunch will be provided so we need to know how many people to expect.

Steve
President, 4:13 Strong