American YouthWorks celebrates 50 years of empowering Central Texas youth

AUSTIN, Texas — American YouthWorks, a local organization dedicated to providing career training, certifications, and readiness programs at no cost, is celebrating 50 years of service to the Austin community. CEO Parc Smith and Chief Development Officer Jonnyka Bormann joined We Are Austin in studio to talk about the organization's impact and future plans.

Reflecting on their half-century milestone, Smith and Bormann highlighted significant changes and successes in the lives of the young people they have served.

"It's just amazing to watch the young people find themselves through our programs-- find that they have something really incredible to offer others. We're connecting them to jobs and to careers that will be family-sustaining careers," said Smith, who has been a part o the organization for 30 years.

"It's very rewarding. Through the years we've heard over and over from participants from graduates of the program about how the program and experience really changed their lives and they've been transformed moving into new career pathways," added Bormann.

Looking ahead, American YouthWorks plans to focus on key priorities and innovations to better prepare young people for education and career development including updating their offerings to best match the evolving workforce and career landscape in Central Texas.

American YouthWorks serves people ages 17-28 and up to age 35 for recently returning veterans.

The organization encourages individuals and other organizations to contribute to their mission by visiting ayw.org.

Thanks to RBFCU for making these segments possible and allowing CBS Austin to highlight the good non-profits, like American YouthWorks, do in our community. For more information or to apply for the CBS Austin and Telemundo Austin Community Partner Program, visit cbsaustin.com/communitypartner.