Kevin Jones understands that the apathy and high crime rate among teens and young adults is often caused by a combination of too much idle time and a lack of education. So to provide young people with occupational skills, Jones created the Business in a Bucket Program. Jones recently spoke with rolling out about how Business in a Bucket inspires the youth. –amir shaw
What does Business in a Bucket do?
Business in a Bucket teaches labor skills to the youth. In these [dire] economic times, people are looking for ways to make ends meet. Business in a Bucket is helping them make ends meet by teaching and allowing them to earn income. If you don’t have business skills, it’s almost impossible to find employment.
Are there any success stories from this program?
When we looked at one situation for instance, one young man couldn’t find a job no matter how hard he tried. He was looking for a way to make money and his mom was a widow so it was tough for her to make ends meet. So we got with him and started him in our program. He was able to feed his family and he felt [like] more of a man because he was able to provide. Business in a Bucket was a start, but he was able to get more clientele and he grew his business contacts.
What advice do you give to the students?
I use myself as an example to let them know they can make it in life. Coming from New Orleans, I initially was that kid who didn’t think that I could do things myself. Moses Bonds taught me how to detail cars because that’s what I can [do] well. When I looked at his example, I was inspired by the way that he dressed. The way you dress and talk will carry you far in business. You have to have etiquette.
How can young people get involved?
They can go to the Web site www.businessinabucket.net and communicate with us through e-mail as well as reach me via contact info from the Web site. We also have a newsletter detailing what is going on in the business world. We want to be able to help and train them for the future.
