YMCA “Brand YOU” Job Prep Workshops for MHS Students Starts, Thursday, October 17th

The Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA Teen Program will partner with Marblehead High School to present Brand YOU, a series of interactive job prep workshops designed to help high school students prepare themselves for job and college interviews, community service positions and to improve everyday communication with others.  The Y workshops will be offered during study periods within the regular school day at Marblehead High School and will cover a range of topics in addition to communications, including resume writing, preparing for interviews, networking strategies and how to conduct a job search.

 “Students face many roles as students, athletes, employees, volunteers and future college applicants as they move through the high school years, and we want them to be prepared to present themselves in the best way possible,” said Layne Millington, MHS Principal.  “We hope that teachers and parents will encourage their teens to join what we think will be a very useful and practical life skills learning opportunity offered through our partnership with the Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA.”

The Y’s Teen Program will be enlisting support from local business and non-profit professionals who will participate in the workshops as spotlight guests to offer real world examples of how they use branding and communication strategies in their professional and volunteer roles.  “We are excited to team up with local community members who can serve as mentors for high school students as they begin the journey towards college and career,” said Scott Hitchcock, Executive Director of the Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA.  “There is a wealth of collected experience in this town that high school students can take advantage of and benefit from to support their personal development.”

The Brand YOU workshop series will be presented by Cheryl Byrne, a Marblehead based communications and public relations consultant, who is passionate about helping teens learn how to build their own personal communications and branding. Mrs. Byrne, currently a consultant to an international trade association and a west coast non-profit housing developer, among others, has spent 25 years practicing the skills necessary to communicate clearly and effectively in this ultra-connected world. She combines a traditional public relations background with a focus on crisis management, and has particular expertise in managing issues and reputations in the dynamic online environment and social media.