Supporting Youth Through Job Corps with Ivory Boyce

Alright, so welcome to Resilient Schools.

This is the podcast we're doing at
the Bridging to Resilience Conference.

Today we have Ivory Boyce.

Ivory, why don't you tell us
a little bit about yourself.

why don't you.

So I'm here with the Flint
Hills Job Corps Center.

We help students So about me,
I'm a admissions counselor

here at the Flint Hills.

I'm new to the staff I have been working
with the youth for several years.

I was at the Workforce Center when I
was at the Workforce Center, I was a

workforce professional and then I became a

Customer Service Coordinator and then
seeing all the different youth I decided

to join with the Flint Hills Job Corps
Center that needed the extra assistance So

I'm excited to be here have two bachelor's
degrees and a master's from Wichita State.

Oh my goodness.

So you're at home right now?

Yes.

Okay.

So what are your bachelor's in
and what's your master's in?

what I have health management and
community development, and then I have

the public health science with a minor
in psychology is for the two bachelors.

And then for my master's is
health administration with

aging studies concentration.

Oh my gosh, that is so nerdy.

I

I love it With aging studies interesting.

So you studied like how people get old?

Basically, yes.

And then, like, how to stay healthy,
and then the end of life, and how to

take care of yourself, and what to
do, and then Medicare, things like

Fascinating.

You're not working in your major,
though, because you're working with kids,

graduated in May.

gotcha.

So,

with the health, with the public health,
I felt like I was more into my public

health side of things and community
development, because it was health

management and community development.

That was my, one of my first bachelors.

The career development side, I'm all
about helping people out, giving them the

tools that they need and the resources and

things like that, so I'm super excited.

to

16 to

what Job Corps is a way for young adults
aged 16 to 24 to further their education.

They can have a high school
diploma or they cannot.

We'll help them get their
GED or high school diploma.

We'll help you get a trade.

and a driver's license if you don't
have that, everything's 100 percent

free room and board, you'll have a place
to stay, you'll get three hot meals a

day, plus snacks in between, afternoons
we have recreational and different

things, we'll take them to the K State
games and bowling and skating, so it's

like the full package, so if you're
like not knowing what's the next step,

then you're not able to get like a
full ride to the College or you're not

understanding what's your next steps.

We'll be able to be here for you to take
your hand in Help you along the process.

It's at your own pace So if you can
finish in nine months, you'll be able

to finish in nine months if it takes you
12 months We'll let you go 12 months.

It takes you two years.

We'll be here for two years So
it's really up to you as long

as you're making that progress.

We'll be here to support you to get
to that next level Some people go to

college after and get a four year degree.

Some people go to military.

Some people go into the work field.

We have so many different options
that you can do and we'll be

here along the way to help you.

Cool.

So what is your purpose in coming to a
conference like bridging to resilience?

coming to this conference will be
able to help us grasp the knowledge

of working with different populations
of individuals and understanding

where they're coming from.

So when we're helping them bridge this.

We'll be able to connect with the

different resources of all the
people , it's so many different

teachers and different things like that.

So if you see a young adult struggling or
trying to get to the next step and you're

just not sure, If traditional high school
is there for them, all the hope spots and

things like that, sometimes traditional
high school is not the best for everyone.

So seeing the different option,
you still want this kid to succeed,

or you still want them to be
able to get to the next level.

And sometimes it's what will be
that next level for this kid?

Their high school's not for them.

Come to Job Corps.

We'll be able to help you complete
your high school diploma and it

doesn't just have to be a GED.

You'll get your high school
diploma, you can get a trait,

you'll get your driver's license.

We'll help you, you'll have a
transition specialist to help you

along the process when you're done.

You'll have all that extra support
that you need that you feel like

you're lacking in other systems.

feel like you're lacking in other systems.

Yeah, that's very cool.

I imagine that also some of the kids
that the people here are working with

in their schools would probably be
good candidates for Job Corps as well.

That they may not know what they
want to do and may not have a

stable home environment for an
example of what they could do.

as a stable home environment for
an example of what they could do.

for their child, they're going

Consider that.

And then, so free or reduced
lunch is automatic qualifier.

There's a lot of kids that's on the
public Medicaid and things like that.

Automatic qualifier.

As soon as you turn 18, you're
an individual, and you're a grown

up, and you don't have any income
because you haven't worked.

Automatic qualifier.

So there's so many different
ways we can get these young

people in to bridge the gap.

bridge the gap.

Oh, cool.

That's very good.

There's been a lot at this conference.

What are some of your big takeaways?

Things that you've learned that you want
to make sure you remember going forward.

Yeah, so there was so many different
things that I have jotted down in my

notebook or whatever, but the, I love
to see that people go through so many

different things, but they still have that

the hope and prosperity
to go to the next level.

So many people come from
poverty or experienced poverty.

Some people might not have stayed
there, but they have experienced it,

being able to hear different people's
perspectives, but also getting those tools

that we need to work with these young
individuals to get to the next level.

But yeah, it's been so inspiring.

And then I like the different
breakout rooms, how you can go

pick which class you want to be in
to get to the different courses.

there was one individual who we were
talking about being colorblind and you

can't act like you don't see the color
or where someone's coming from or their

culture or their race because race
and culture is two different things.

But You can't say, Oh, I don't see color
and everyone's the same because you do

see that I'm different and you have to
respect that I'm different and respect

where I'm coming from and understand
that you're working with someone from a

different culture and understand how to
deal with each individual differently

because everyone's not the same.

Yeah.

You can't ignore those things.

Yeah, that's good.

That's Charles Williams.

I wanted to chat with him on the podcast,
but we couldn't make our schedules

line up, so he'll be coming out in the
future for sure, because I thought that

was definitely an interesting session.

Yes, and I also like, there's different
resources here for teachers to be

able, if you see a kid struggling,
there's mentor programs that they're

trying to line people up with.

There's all these different type
of resources that we have that you

can't use all of them, but if you
take one or two of them away, that

we'll be able to make the world a

better

Yeah, for sure.

So with all that said, and you have
in front of you a huge notebook

with a ton of papers in it.

The other question that I would ask
Ivory is what is an action step you're

gonna take as a result of being here?

I feel like I'm going to recognize my
triggers and know what to do and how to

manage those triggers when they come up.

So no one in a perfect world, we all
will be happy and if we all would

agree on everything, but there is
some things that come up to make

us upset or so we got to focus on.

Ourself sometimes in on what's our
part of the mess or whatever to make

sure we'll be able to help the next
person So Basically is being proactive

instead of focusing on the reaction.

You'll be able to focus on being
proactive So that was a nice little note

Yeah, I love the idea of being
proactive instead of reactive when

you're proactive you're able to act
how you want to act rather than acting

how somebody else makes you act.

And you definitely don't want to just
be acted upon by other people and have

them, tell you how you should be, like
when there's a, especially in schools,

when there's a kid who's bothering you or
making you upset, like you're giving all

your power to that kid by letting them
control your emotions and how you feel.

And if you're being reactive,
but if you can instead say,

regardless of what happens today,
this is how I'm going to show up.

Then you can act in alignment with
your values, regardless of what

the circumstances are around that.

And that's a really
powerful skill to develop.

And I can definitely agree with that.

Yeah.

That's powerful.

Yeah.

coming to a conference like this, you're
going to go back, talk with your peers

at work and the other, and with this,
the students that are there, what are

some of the things that you're going to
say are like, these were the impactful

things that we learned that maybe they
didn't apply to you because you're not

like in a classroom setting and and a
lot of people here are what are some of

those things that you want to take away?

All of our people come from different
walks of life it's not just the perfect

picture home or whatever, but it's
like, trying to calm someone down,

don't tell them to calm down, because
at the end of the day, telling someone

to calm down when they're so heated, we
have to try other de escalation methods

and things like that that's a big one,
trying to like, don't say calm down the

non verbal cues you don't have to say
some things, but then you can pick up

on them based off the body language.

Tone of voice is not what you
say, but it's how you say it.

Those are major, because I can tell you
to relay this message, but if you go say

it in a different tone, or in an email
or text message, tone can also get lost

yeah.

Yeah, those are little things, but
man they sure do make a big impact,

Yeah,

And if you are coming across as
sarcastic or inauthentic or something,

then people really see and feel that
and that can be really detrimental.

anything else that you feel we need
to chat about before we sign off?

One thing I can say is, when we're
working with kids, before we react

to their reaction, we have to make
sure they have their basic needs.

They are, taken care of, and the president
or whatever of SDAC, I'm not sure if

that's the correct title, but he was
the keynote speaker today, this morning.

Executive Director, Chad

Yes.

So he gave that example of the shattering
glass okay, I'm knocking on the door,

seeing what it is, what's going on, and
then he see that the mother is in the

wheelchair, on oxygen, this, that, and
the third there's more to life than just

of course the kid needs to be in school,
but if you see that her mom is on her

deathbed or got a couple months to live,
you can see why she's not at school.

So the shattering glass was,
that was a good story too.

I really liked that.

Yeah.

And that doesn't excuse behavior,
but it gives us context.

And that's actually what, what
Chad was talking about on the show

that I interviewed him earlier.

The context really does matter.

And it's not like that's going to make
everything okay or anything like that.

But if you understand it, then
you can have some empathy.

You can say, okay, I see
where you're coming from.

And you can get an idea
of what's going on.

And then you can say, all right, this
was really an inappropriate behavior.

This was wrong.

We can't do this.

But...

I see where you're coming from.

I have empathy.

I love you.

I care about you.

And let's move on.

you can learn how to support them.

That's the main thing of getting that
extra information, because it's like,

you're not, like you said, you're
not telling them that information

is okay, but now you know how to
support them, you know what they're

going through, you can actually
relate to them in a different way.

You know what I'm saying?

Like, Not saying you're going to give
them any lax or any slack, but you can.

Help them out and give them
the extra tools they need.

Maybe they might need a ride to school,
or maybe they might need some clothes or

something because their mom's not working,
or whatever that's, everyone has different

anxieties, or different fears, or whatever
that's going through their head, but

whatever that's holding them back, you
might be able to be that extra layer of

support to get them to their next level.

Jones, Transformative
Principal, Jethro, Yeah.

And everybody needs support
getting somewhere, right?

And sometimes they're the
one receiving support.

Sometimes they're the one giving support.

And there have been times where
people that you don't think would be

the supporters are the supporters.

Like I've had students who have really
helped me through a difficult time without

even knowing that's what they were doing.

And, and I'll just share
one quick little story.

This was my daughter who was
in 7th grade at the time.

And I had just gotten told
that I wasn't gonna be the

principal of my school anymore.

And the next day.

Go back to the school, pack
your office, you're done.

Really difficult.

And my daughter that day was like,
I gotta eat lunch with my dad.

And she came in and ate lunch with me.

And and I was like...

totally distraught, totally bummed,
and she was just like chatting away.

We're talking and then she
says, what's wrong dad?

And I said, Oh, I'm
just having a rough day.

She put her hand on my arm and she
said, dad, it's going to be okay.

And it was like, Oh my goodness, that
girl, like she, she was totally right.

And it was okay.

And yeah, that was a really tough
thing to go through, but man, I sure am

grateful that I had that moment with her.

Where she could be my support
when I didn't have support in

that moment and I needed it bad.

And that's a really powerful thing.

Not sure why I felt like I needed to
share that story, but there you go.

back to Yeah.

the

That's, a long way to make someone
get to the next step in their

Yeah, for sure.

So Ivor, if somebody's interested
in Job Corps, we have people all

over the country listening to this.

Not just Flint Hills Job Corps,
but anywhere in the country.

How did they get connected
and learn more about that?

You can visit us at JobCourse.

gov to get our information, or you
can give me a call at 785 770 7302.

.
This episode was edited by Carter Black
as part of the Davis Catalyst Center.