Youthentity Gives Kids Confidence In Uncertain Times
Chef Matt Maier is Youthentity’s Lead Chef Instructor for the Career Academy’s Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management program. For our 2020 Virtual Pig Roast, Matt created the At Home Pig Roast book which included the following introduction.
Flip through the digital book here.
This year has affected our community in so very many ways and these challenges will echo through the fabric of our country for the foreseeable future and beyond. We have all dealt with the added stress of the pandemic, the loss of people that we know and love, and are aware of just how much our idyllic community has changed and adapted to this new normal.
Imagine for a moment that you are back in high school and are preparing to graduate. Perhaps you will go to college, or maybe you are going straight into the workforce. How heavy and unknown this future must look to you from that perspective knowing just how many people are looking for employment right now. What have you done to set yourself apart from your peers? How have you prepared yourself for the next steps? Youthentity is without a doubt the answer to that question.
My core beliefs as a Chef Instructor for Youthentity include eliciting confidence in students in my trade, endeavoring for them to gain practical experiences, for them to hone a repertoire of skills, and to ultimately make them job ready. This mission has never been more clearly necessary nor had a more immediate need than in this moment. This is also something we as an organization cannot do alone. It is through your dedication and direct influence in the lives of these students that make all of the difference- now more than ever.
When I took this position I had no idea what I was getting myself into. These many years later I have experienced the tears of unbridled joy in students during moments of great success and I have seen them weep with such deep sorrow that I knew that they were destined for greatness. I have been teacher, friend, counselor, shoulder to cry on, and on occasion probably even the enemy in their eyes. I have had students maintain friendships with me across years and miles and know that I have made an impact in their lives. I held a student as she cried and exclaimed “Chef, I get to go to college” after earning scholarships at competition. The greatest work I have done has been through Youthentity, and it is your continued great work that allows this to happen.
Chef Matt Maier
Lead Instructor, Career Academy Culinary & Hospitality Program