The Power of Peer Support for Employment
Christian and Cody entered the Community Service Board of Middle Georgia (CSBMG) Emerging Adults Program when they were 17 years old and now are full-time employees!
Christian had come from a challenging family dynamic, has lived experience with DFACs, and has had challenges with DJJ. Upon engaging in our peer support group, Christian began taking the steps to work towards building independence, employment, and overcoming probation challenges. There were times when he voiced over the years that he was having several setbacks that were preventing him from reaching his goal of finding a good job and holding steady employment. Christian never gave up on his goals and kept trying to move forward with his peers’ encouragement. Today, Christian is 21 years old and just transitioned from a part-time job on the weekends through Academy Sports Warehouse to working full-time during the week for Graham Construction Company!
Cody had followed in his sister’s foot steps to the CSBMG Emerging Adults Program after she was accepted into the Army. Cody had been living with friends and was struggling to find steady employment while he was trying to get into GED school. As he started attending and working with his peers, his confidence grew by leaps and bounds. He was able to get enrolled in GED school and began searching for a job. He came back to the program one day and stated that he was discouraged because he had just gone to another temp agency and that he didn’t think the interview went so well. Moments later, he received a phone call that Perry Ellis Warehouse had hired him on and he held that job down for 6 months. After buying his own truck, he made the decision to transition to work for Kroger closer to town. Now, at age 20, he is a full-time Kroger employee with health benefits and steady income.
Follow-up questions or comments can be directed to: Claire Phillips cphilips@csbmg.com