Youth Program Initiatives!

Please help support the youth program! Over 1,000 youth this past year have received some services from the CMJTS Youth Career Navigators. 

Operation Exploration camp attendance

Large scale hands-on career exploration

Career Pathway development

Skills training (i.e., construction, healthcare, welding)

Mentorship

Youth Program Success Story

Hello, my name is Naw Refinelovth. I am 17 years old, and I attend Willmar Senior High School. I was born in a refugee camp in Thailand. The camp where I was born is called Mae La Oon. Although I was born in Thailand, I am not Thai. I’m part of a small ethnic group called Karen. I lived in Thailand until I was six years old. Then, I moved to California and lived there for about 4 years. After that, I moved to South Carolina and lived there for 3 years. Now, I live in Minnesota, and it has been about 5 years. When comparing life in Mae La Oon to Minnesota, there’s quite a difference. Minnesota has provided me with a lot of resources. Minnesota has way better schools, homes, roads, and better opportunities. In Mae La Oon, the villages and homes are not as developed. Education was provided but it isn’t as good as Minnesota’s. Food was also a problem there. The food we ate didn’t have the right or enough nutrients. But, when comparing California and South Carolina to Minnesota, they all provide good education and similar opportunities. The only difference is the community. They are from different areas of the country so the cultures in each state are a bit different.

I came to CMJTS because I was interested in working in the garden (MNYOU Garden). At the Garden, I met a lot of new people. They were easy to get along with and I liked that the groups were diverse. We would mostly work outdoors planting, harvesting, or pulling weeds. My favorite was pulling weeds. Although pulling weed was repetitive, we got to sit down and talk with other people. Every Friday people would take turns fishing or cooking. I remember Ben’s mom making zucchini bread, and they were so good!!

Through CMJTS, I got to attend the Healthcare Camp both last year and this year. Last year, the camp was very new, so we did not know what to expect. We did many things such as having speakers from different companies, learning new skills, and meeting new people. This year I attended the camp as a leader where I took the initiative to help others feel more comfortable and included. For this year’s camp, we did similar things but had more speakers and more hands-on activities. This year’s camp has really helped me with speaking since I was put into the leader’s role, and I thought that it was my responsibility to speak up so it could encourage others to voice their thoughts. On the last day of camp, we participated in leadership and teamwork activities at Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center. For one of the activities the team lifted me about 40 feet into the air as a flying squirrel. Then I partnered with another camper for the giants ladder and climbed almost all the way to the top. This was very challenging as the giants’ ladder moves with every move that you make. Lastly, we had archery competitions. Throughout the day we learned more about each other, made some lasting memories, and a great start to new friendships.

Throughout the school year, I received help with career exploration, updating my resume, cover letter, and applying for jobs throughout my community. I was even able to take the nursing assistant class. Upon completing class, I didn’t feel too confident in the skills that I learned so I wanted to gain some experience before taking the skills portion of the nursing assistant test out. Currently, I work as a Recreation Assistant at Bethesda in Willmar.

For the upcoming year, my goal is to get my Associate Degree with Ridgewater College through the PSEO program while obtaining my high school diploma. I also hope to gain better speaking skills along the way and meet new people. For my long-term goals, I hope to get into a college that would best benefit me so I can reach my goal to be a surgeon.