KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — An East Knoxville nonprofit aims to provide a path out of poverty for young people. Socially Equal Energy Efficient Development (SEEED) provides many programs for the community, including reducing gun violence and increasing homeownership.
One program focuses on making sure that young adults have the tools they need for a successful future, and they're accepting applications.
The Career Readiness program is an eight-week training program for young adults 18 to 24, that also pays them.
"Some of them might not have food and shelter or water and things on a daily basis, so it helps them with their daily living to be able to support their self as well," Ronnisha Smith, the career readiness program director, said.
Participants learn skills, like how to be financially literate or how to build the perfect resume. But the program director said it also teaches them more about who they are.
"It touched a lot of bases on I guess life in general," Smith said. "It helps them to develop... develop the person that they are trying to be in the long run while also getting support from other people as well."
Once participants complete the program, they have the opportunity to do a boot camp, which could lead to a job working at SEEED.
"What green construction boot camp is they build solar homes around the city," she said. "So they also teach the young adults how to do that as well as getting them certified in certain different areas to help them further their career. When they leave the program and community engagement, they go out and they basically get the needs of the community and they bring them back and we see how we can incorporate, helping them as well."
There is also a career readiness program boot camp but Smith said the two assistants will probably be hired, so this was the first and last boot camp for that.
Ciara Battle said she liked the experience so much, she decided to do the Career Readiness boot camp.
"It's an opportunity for me to find what I wanna do, figure out what career path I wanna take because it's still something I'm struggling with," Battle said. "And I also really just enjoyed the CRP program so much that I just, I didn't wanna leave."
Another Career Readiness assistant said she recommends the program to others who want to better themselves now and in the future.
"If you're passionate about bettering yourself, if you are leaning towards bettering yourself or your future, thinking about your future, I definitely would recommend it to them at least just give it a shot because you never know who you can meet on the way," Asia Richardson said. "You'll never know what can inspire you, kinda like what happened to me."
Applications for the career readiness program are being accepted up until Feb. 13, 2025, or until all of their slots are filled. The program usually accepts 14 to 16 participants.