![Stay focused. With a concentrated gaze, sophomore Zoey Howard waits to get the ball from her teammate. Howard believes that female athletes can continue to be leaders and great role models for younger girls to look up to. “I am aware [that female athletes are paid less than male athletes] and it makes me mad because women work just as hard as men; we can continue to push for more equality by putting ourselves out there,” Howard said.](https://thechieftainspear.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/zoey-howard-for-web.jpg)
JAG helping at-risk youth
Elijah Carrera Co-Editor in Chief
February 23, 2023
Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) is a non-profit organization with the mission of empowering at-risk youth to succeed in school, work, and life. In the 2023-2024 school year, East will open it’s doors to JAG.
“JAG Nebraska currently has 24 programs statewide, growing to 34 in the 2023-2024 school year,” State Director for JAG Nebraska Shauna Paolini said. “Our goal is to partner with schools statewide to help support as many students and communities in Nebraska as we can. Our goal for each program is to provide access to behind-the-scenes experiences with Nebraska’s employers and help prepare students for success.”
The program surrounds itself around the student. Therefore, a positive perception from the student population is critical. Junior Lily Caldwell felt that the future program would be beneficial for the community.
“Yes. Absolutely. East has a high population of underprivileged students who could benefit from this program,” Caldwell said.
Since its inception in 1978, JAG has expanded its program to 38 states across the country. Even more so, it has implemented 1,000 classes in high schools, alternative schools, community colleges, and middle schools within the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
“[JAG has a] 96.8% graduation rate across 38 national affiliate states in the U.S. and 82% with full time employment with 77% overall positive outcomes (combination of work and post-secondary education),” Paolini said.
For interested students who meet the requirements, benefits are provided throughout the year. One of these benefits include national travel.
“As a result of our affiliation with JAG National, qualified JAG Nebraska students also experience national travel for Leadership Development and Career Conferences,” Paolini said.
JAG’s mission is to benefit the community rather than bring in profits. However, funding is required for them to continue to expand, and this money comes in from dozens of partners and sponsors with similar core values.
“These partners welcome and benefit our students, working together to help us build stronger schools, businesses, communities, and country,” according to JAG.org.
