Seagram’s Gin Pursuit of Excellence Institute Uplifts Black Men in Five Key Ways
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Seagram’s
Gin, a signature spirits brand of Pernod Ricard USA, created the
Pursuit of Excellence Institute in conjunction with Black History
Month, a job training and mentoring program in four metropolises that
provides occupational readiness for forty African American males. The
program provides computer and technical training, interviewing skills,
one-on-one mentoring and includes a $500 stipend for the one-month
program that ends in February.
Ten young black men, ages 25-32, in each off
the four cities are selected from a rigid application and pre-screening
process by figures from the world off finance, social service, media,
sports, entertainment and design. Seagram’s Gin works in conjunction
with a community-based group that will provide invaluable training and
tools in the four cities – Atlanta, Chicago, Tampa, Fla., and Columbia,
S.C. – that will make them attractive in the marketplace. The program
is funded by Seagram’s Gin and administered by the Atlanta Workforce
Development Agency, the Chicago Urban League; the Corporation to
Develop Communities of Tampa, and the United Black Fund of Columbia.
The young African American males are aided specifically in the
following five areas:
1.
Participants will attend multiple training sessions including: computer
training; interview skills workshops; self-esteem building exercises;
technical training classes, dress-for-success sessions; and financial
empowerment strategies.
2. Each student will receive a $500 stipend for the four-week class.
3. Each person will receive a laptop, a briefcase, and weekly lesson plans and supplies
4. The host organization in the city provides each of the students a
suit, tie and shirt for interview readiness. One outstanding student
from each city will receive a $2500 fellowship and career-focused
wardrobe at the graduation ceremony, which takes place during Black
History Month
5. The Pursuit of Excellence program, in conjunction with the local
organizations, greatly aid in finding viable employment for the young
African American males.
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Even
as the marketplace continues to cave in with a national unemployment
rate at 7.2 percent – including a hideous 12 percent rate for African
Americans – Seagram’s Gin Pursuit of Excellence Institute is helping to
cause a reversal of fortunes for the program’s participants. The
Pursuit of Excellence boasts a 99 percent employment-placement clip for
the African American males who go through the exacting four-week
program in Atlanta and Chicago the past two years. The success of the
Pursuit of Excellence Institute last year enabled Seagram’s Gin to
expand the program this year by two cities: Tampa, Fla., and Columbia,
S.C.
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“The
Pursuit of Excellence is a natural extension of the Seagram’s Gin
bran’s long-standing commitment to community-focused initiatives,
ranging from adult education, housing development, urban voter
registration and anti-hunger campaigns,” said William Cherrie, the vice
president for multicultural marketing for Pernod Ricard USA. “In
supporting and expanding this program, our goal is to continue to shine
a spotlight on a critical issue while reaffirming our commitment to the
communities that we serve with renewed vigor and enthusiasm. In this
manner, we hope to continue to help guide individuals towards their own
paths to excellence.”
There are plans to expand
the program to other cities in the future that will give young black
men a second chance to become contributing members of society and
provide for their families. – terry shropshire
