Thrive Project
My first ever guest blog! Jamie Berger has been a friend of mine since I met him at Columbia when we were both going to college there. Awesome dude. Loved him then. Love him now. And now I think he is even more awesome because he has started an amazing non-profit called The Thrive Project. I asked him to write a blog about it so I could post it here and hopefully get people excited about this new venture.
Annie and I have been friends since 1983 when we met at Columbia and got to know each other in classes, at parties, and out at clubs. As I recall, we both worked on the Times crossword in different parts of the lecture hall during Professor Seidel’s 18th Century Lit class. Annie and her friend Mark always had the puzzle done by the end of class, while my friend Kevin and I, well, we did okay. Both Annie and I found our way through undergraduate school more or less without incident, while also finding our way in New York City. But how did we get there? And why?
Well, we both had educator parents who were very involved in our upbringing. We were sent to the best schools in our respective areas. We were raised, in short, to go to college, or, if not college, we were expected to damn well have a really good alternate plan. (Annie’s brother Howard apparently had just such a plan, although I’m guessing their father might not have thought so at times.). The point is, sure, we were smart kids, even brilliant, in Annie’s case, anyway, but equally if not more important, we were raised to succeed, to make our way in the world, to work within its system, with its teachers and tests and ways to behave. And, especially in Annie’s case, to compete. And we passed the tests and listened to the teachers, and, more or less, behaved. And we did okay. More than okay.
I’m part of a team that’s starting a nonprofit organization called the Thrive Project, the goal of which is to help young adults, first in my little town in Western Mass, then well beyond, who didn’t do so okay, and didn’t have the breaks that Annie and I and many of you had (and many didn’t, I’m sure) but are eager and able to change course, to work toward a career instead of just a dead-end job. These are bright, energetic, talented people who didn’t succeed in high school for any number of reasons, and now, a few years later, find themselves stuck, working at Wal-mart, at Mickey D’s, pulling the third shift in factories, who just need a little encouragement, training, and resources to do more than just survive, to thrive. In small towns across America, once someone turns 18, and is done with mandatory schooling, there just isn’t much out there offering school/career support. The Thrive Project will offer just that, and more.
This is a blog post, so I don’t want to go on too long. If what I’ve written so far resonates with you, please take a look at the website for the Thrive Project and consider helping, be it with money or other donation, by offering ideas and suggestions, by telling us your story, by suggesting a grant we might not have heard about, or by passing us on to others, via tweet (@thriveproject), facebook, email, or good old-fashioned talking. Thanks!
-Jamie Berger
Exectutive Director
The Thrive Project
Thanks Annie!
Looks like some links didn’t make it on there. Please come visit us at
http://thethriveproject.org
or on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/The-Thrive-Project/129785763698540
Any feedback is so very welcome, and well, while input and volunteers and all the good will in the world is amazing, without some good old-fashioned cash support from outside our area, it just won’t happen in our town, let alone spread to others like yours.
Sorry for the pledge drive lingo. Maybe this’ll be better: We’re not trying to help people catch a huge suck-out, but to help some young people who’ve taken a lot of bad beats have their strong hands hold. One time, anyone?
Thanks!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/The-Thrive-Project/129785763698540
Sorry gang, just trying to get that whole facebook link to work. You can always search us there under “thrive project.” We’re the one with the crooked tree in the logo.
I want to get behind this good cause but the writer comes across pretentious and snobbish.
“The point is, sure, we were smart kids, even brilliant…”
“to work toward a career instead of just a dead-end job… find themselves stuck, working at Wal-mart, at Mickey D’s, pulling the third shift in factories”
While I understand your message you lose me with your statements above. You are very arrogant.
I know many people who have made a career at Walmart and McDonald’s, successful careers. In fact, over 70% of management at Walmart started out as hourly employees. McDonald’s has just as many success stories as well.
So do you feel better by putting down hard working employees at Walmart, McDonald’s, Target, factories, etc? Many with opportunities to move up within the organizations have done so. I know store managers making six figures with only a high school education. Then there are not only high school graduates but college graduates as well who went to work for these “dead-end jobs” and found a successful career.
So please, deliver your message without slamming other organizations that you know nothing about. Get off your high horse and stop looking down at us. If you truly want to help us, then stop with the aloof comments.
I really liked this post, I have personally had it not so easy and mags no matter what some have done there is always an exception to the rule granted Im sure there are lots of stories of the ones that made manager but lots more of the people at Mcdonalds are stuck there, making min. wage and if they are trying to raise a family it is much worse.
At least someone is trying to do something good for others that are less fortunate then the rest.For most those jobs are not a way out of poverty but they are a long cycle of pointless dead end jobs that make someone else all the money, and alot of the “managers” are just scraping by. Bravo Jamie and Annie personally Annie has a heart of gold. btw is there a way I can donate to this via UB also was wondering if i can pay for your training site through there
Peace and LOve
marty aka __marty__
Just saw this (July 15th), and I’m guessing that Mags won’t be back to see my comment, but I feel I should respond anyway.
I’m sorry if you felt I degraded your career in some way. I know many young people working at the places you mention. I know none who find their jobs satisfying or a career. I’m glad you do.
Pretentious, snobbish, arrogant, aloof – all pretty harsh words. And the first time I’ve read any of them in relation to Thrive, which aims to help people improve their lives in many different ways, from learning to be a skilled metal worker, to going to technical school, to, yes, finishing high school and going back to college.
Again, I know plenty about Wallmart and McDonald’s. As both customer and friend of employees, I’ve known no one who’s happily looked forward to pursuing a career at either, let alone getting up and going to work each morning. If you do enjoy your employment with such a company and look forward to your future there, then you are Thriving, good for you!