10 minute read
Hire Houston Youth (HHY
EDITORIAL FEATURE Hire Houston Youth (HHY)
BY MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER
In February, I launched the 5th year of one of my signature programs, Hire Houston Youth (HHY). By working with the private sector and nonprofit community, HHY provides more access to employment opportunities for young people ages 16-24. Houston is a city of opportunity. If we are going to build a strong, vibrant workforce, we must invest in our youth, and we must do it now.
Since becoming mayor, I have steadily grown the Hire Houston Youth program. Before I came into office, the City of Houston offered 450 summer jobs, but I knew that we could do better. In 2016, we increased the number of jobs to over 1,100. Each year, there has been a steady increase from 1,100 to 5,000 to 7,500. In 2019, I set an ambitious goal of 10,000 job opportunities. We exceeded this goal and provided access to over 11,400 jobs. Our success comes from resounding support and collaboration from the public and private sectors. The overwhelming majority of jobs come from the private sector and nonprofit community, while fewer than 500 positions are in local government. HHY’s goal is to increase our youth’s access to Houston’s dynamic economy and careers and provide them with a transformative “earn and learn” experience.
In 2020, I initially challenged my staff and community partners to provide 15,000 jobs, internships, and apprenticeship opportunities, but I could not stop thinking about how Houston has approximately 20,000 gang members. If we want a safe city, we must embrace young people before negative influences steer them in the wrong direction, and we must put the gangs out of business. Therefore, I have raised the bar to 20,000 jobs for 2020. This will be a transformational year for HHY as we further impact the lives of our youth and continue to build Houston’s future workforce.
HHY connects young people to mentors, job training, and local resources and support. Working in various positions, young people will meet with career coaches to learn how to complete a successful interview, prepare a resume, make a great first impression, show up to work on time, and complete work responsibilities. The program puts them on a track to succeed in a competitive work environment and gain real world experience.
They also have a chance to earn, and for some young people, this is the only money they will have. Some will use it for personal expenses, to help their parents, or to pitch in with household expenses, while others will save for future college or day-to-day living expenses. Regardless of how their money is spent, invested, or saved, we are empowering youth with earnings, financial literacy, and participation in the economy.
At a recent Hire Houston Youth kick-off event, former intern Luis Moreno, a University of Houston student, explained why the program is important to him. Moreno grew up in Hiram Clark, the son of immigrants from Mexico. “The Hire Houston Youth program provided an opportunity to l earn new skills and better prepare for my future in the workforce,” said Moreno. “Not a lot of young people have access to job training. I’m very grateful to Mayor Turner, and I want to encourage others to apply for the positions this year.”
HHY ambassadors like Moreno are the reason I am passionate about building this program. I see how it transforms their lives by also building their social capital and emotional skills. I am asking local businesses and nonprofit groups to hire youth for the summer and to add yearround opportunities as well.
This program would not be successful without the support of Workforce Solutions, the Greater Houston Partnership, The Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the McDonald’s Owners and Operators Association, United Way, National League of Cities, LinkedIn, Strada Education Network, JP Morgan Chase Foundation, NRG Reliant Charitable Foundation, Cities for Financial Empowerment, the City of Houston’s Human Resources Department, the Mayor’s Office of Education, and so many others. I also want to thank and acknowledge companies like: •McDonald’s committing to 5,000 hires for 2020.
•HEB for hiring 2,000 or more youth every summer since being a part of the program.
•American Pools for hiring hundreds of life guards to work at local pools last summer.
•Student Conservation Association for hiring youth to work in Green Careers at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies.
continued on page 22
Can Your Business Withstand Another Harvey?
By Maya Durnovo and Gabriela Zambrano
June 8, 2019 - Houston City Council Member Amanda Edwards, Harris County Community Services Executive Director Daphne Lemelle, Houston MBDA Interim Director Mark Praigg and LiftFund Business Development Officer Bianca Pruitt at the Houston Recovery & Disaster Preparation Forum at the Texas Black Expo in June 2019.
It’s hard to imagine another hurricane as devastating as Harvey happening again but experts say, “It’s not a matter of whether or not a hurricane like Harvey will hit again, it’s a matter of when!” Preparation is the only way to approach that possibility!
What Can You Do Right NOW?
1. Make a copy of your insurance papers and agent’s contact information and store them in your phone. 2. Make a list of all your employees and their contact information and store them in your phone. 3. Set up text groups for your employees so you can readily communicate with them in an emergency. 4. Collect and keep updated contact information on all your customers and store them in your phone. 5. Collect and keep updated contact information on all your vendors and store them in your phone. 6. Make a backup of the following: contracts, legal agreements, business contacts, tax documentation, inventory information, payroll records, and personnel information. 7. Back up your business data in cloud storage. 8. Set up social media so you can announce if and when you are open for business and communicate special notices to employees and vendors through private social media groups. 9. Send yourself an email of everything that you sent to your phone and include a disaster “to do” list as a reminder of what you stored in your phone in case of an emergency. 10. Get your copy of Houston Community College’s
Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Disaster
Recovery and Business Resiliency Resource Guide.
If you already have a written disaster plan and completed this list, you’ll be ahead of the game when the time comes. In addition, you’ll have a sense of accomplishment during a situation that can oftentimes be overwhelming.
Participants at the Business Resiliency Expo on August 2019.
Dr. Maya Durnovo speaking and presenting the Business Resiliency Resource Guide at the Transformational Cyber Summit in August 2019.
Hurricane Harvey was a Category 4 storm that hit Texas on August 25, 2017. According to the National Disaster Center, it caused $125 billion in damage. That is more than any other national disaster in U.S. history except for Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Harvey damaged 204,000 homes.
Three-fourths were outside of the 100year flood plain. Those homeowners did not have flood insurance. Needless to say, many businesses were affected either by evacuations, damage to structures, displaced employees, and loss of income. Some never recovered and some are still dealing with recovery efforts.
To help small businesses with their recovery, Houston Community College received two disaster recovery grants from the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency in 2017 and 2018. During 2017, the staff focused on providing financial assistance to impacted businesses with significant outreach into the greater Houston Area. The team delivered training in disaster recovery, forums, and collaborations with LiftFund, a non-profit designated Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) for small businesses and startup companies. A disaster recovery guide and a financial guide were developed to help businesses prepare for future disruptions; and disaster recovery workshops provided individual assistance and access to resources. The staff held these workshops in 47 Texas cities and touched 23 different industries. These events attracted over 600 individuals impacted by the hurricane; 452 were business owners.
“We were grateful to have had the opportunity to respond to the needs of our community through this grant. And, we are proud of the impact of the work. The disaster recovery guide and financial guide are both available now to help mitigate future disruptions because preparation is the only way to manage disruption,” said Maya Durnovo, HCC Chief Entrepreneurial Officer.
During 2019, the disaster recovery and resiliency team developed a series of programs, including assisting businesses with contingency planning, to help companies prepare for a disaster, maintain continuity during a disaster, and recover after a disruption. The topics included but were not limited to the following subject matters:
• Marketing Before, During, and
After a Disaster • Certification on the Local, Private, and Federal Level • Capital Access for Business
Continuity and Resiliency • Resilience: Commercial Real Estate
Property • Armor your Business with
Commercial Insurance • Legal Forum on New Laws
Impacting Small Business • Harnessing the Government for
Business Growth • Cyber Security: Making Your
Business More Cyber Resilient. • Human Resource Management
During a Storm. • How to Procure Business with the
City of Houston • Learning E-Commerce Tools • SBA Surety Bonding Capacity
“Our goal was to support our Houston small businesses who struggled to recover from natural disasters and other possible business disruptions,” said Mark Praigg, MBDA Business Advisor, Houston MBDA Business Center, which is operated by Houston Community College. “We recognized the major contributions small businesses make to our local economy and the number of jobs that would be lost should they not recover.”
During the 2019 Summer Celebration Texas Black Expo, which is the biggest minority empowerment trade show and festival in Texas, the staff hosted a small business resiliency and disaster preparedness boot camp. The boot camp prepared small business owners on steps to build a more resilient business in the event of a disaster.
The Small Business Resiliency Academy was the flagship initiative created under the Disaster Recovery and Resiliency grant. The Academy served two cohorts made up of 24 minority-owned businesses impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Participant business owners were assisted in creating and implementing multi-stepped resiliency plans. Preparation is crucial and this academy provided 40 hours of disaster preparedness and resiliency training. In addition, business owners received customized business consulting services from subject matter experts on topics affecting daily operations to increase resilience and equip for continuity, growth, and success.
Small Business Resiliency Academy forum – “Operations- Emergency response, incident management and Business Continuity ”
THE 2018-2019 YEAR ENDED WITH TWO LARGE EVENTS:
1. A dynamic Business Resiliency Expo hosted at the
Houston Community College District Campus. The event was designed to capture all the key elements to preparedness: a business panel overview on getting prepared, a marketing roundtable to respond to individual issues and the opportunity to speak with experts. Over 100 small business owners attended and networked with both public and private organizations to learn about available recovery tools and disaster preparedness resources.
2. A Transformational Cyber Security Event addressed the increasing risk from cyber attacks. The Cyber
Security Event was held at HCC’s West Houston
Institute and topics included: • Top Types of Cyber Investigations and How to
Prepare for Them
• Cyber Security Career Opportunities
Business owners had an opportunity to network with disaster preparedness and cyber resilient companies. Discussions included current threats and action plans needed to protect their companies when cyber disruptions happen. And, more than 1,500 viewers participated online.
Keynote Speakers Dr. Sterling L. Carter and Stephen L. Carter at the Business Resiliency Expo.
“The Business Resiliency Expo and Cyber Security Event were the culmination of the more than nine months of disaster recovery programming we’ve offered through workshops and symposiums,” says Gabriela Zambrano, Director of the Houston Minority Business Development Agency. “We hope we’ve made a lasting impact on Houston’s minority owned small business community by sharing information and resources that save companies, save jobs, support our local economy, and ultimately save lives.”
Allegiance Bank Information Security Officer Jon Villanti, Blue Lance CTO Peter Thomas, Tech Mahindra Americas Vice President John Czapko, Locke Lorde Security Director Andy Sawyer, 7th Echelon LLC CEO Ed Melton, CenterPointe Energy Manager Identity and Access Management Compliance Mel Nevarez and Hines Senior Vice President Jesse Carillo at the Transformation Cyber Summit in August 2019.
