The Earn the Right Program began in 2010 for the purpose of equipping teenagers, and young adults with life skill sets with an emphasis on helping at risk youth. The organization mission is to coach, mentor and prepare these talented young people for entering the work force. This type of program is not available anywhere else in the state of South Carolina. We are looking to expanding the E.A.R.N. the Right workshop throughout out the state of South Carolina in various venues, developing strong and determined leaders right here in our very own state. We want young adults to realize that no matter what your yesterday looked like, you can begin making good changes today, that will transform your tomorrow.
The Man Behind the Mission
In the summer of 2009, “Coach” Joe Sicilio was asked a question, “What do you want to do now?” Sicilio wanted to make a positive impact on society and today’s youth. His answer came after careful thought and planning, “I am going to teach kids what I wish I had learned before I started my career.”
Flash forward 9 years and the E.A.R.N. program has impacted over 400 kids in South Carolina, 105 through DJJ as a certified volunteer. The program Sicilio, or“Coach Joe” as he is known as around DJJ, created is a four week program focused on how to “E.A.R.N.” the right strategies for interviews, jobs, and sales through Empathy, Attitude, Respect and kNowledge.
Growing up in a family that moved a lot, Coach Joe didn’t realize until he began the job hunt that he was entirely unsure what was expected in a professional interview. Fortunately for Coach Joe, hisfirst bosses were of the “you learn more in one week on the job than you do in four years in college”mindset.
“If there are seminars for adults on these things once they are in the workplace, why are there noopportunities for kids to learn professionalism?” Coach Joe asked.
Coach Joe began his sales career comfortably, at La-Z-Boy. He started as a showroom associate and by the time he left, he was regional sales manager. He then began working at a mortgage company, new territory for him, he once again started as a salesman. After a few years, and many promotions, Coach Joe enjoyed the mortgage business so much he opened his own firm. When that firm closed, he moved on to BMW. He has risen through the ranks over the past eight years to become among the top salesman for BMW Columbia.
“They were completely different products, but the process and skills I used to succeed in thosepositions were the same” Coach Joe recalls thinking, “It didn’t matter if it was furniture or money or cars, what mattered is how I spoke to people, knowing what information to highlight, and whatinformation they needed to be informed of in a way that still made the sale attractive to them.”
The E.A.R.N. program teaches these skills and processes at the basic level, giving youth valuable information in order to thrive in the workplace. The program begins with a session on proper meet and greet, a skill Coach Joe says is the basis for the rest of the course and how you interact with others.
“No matter what situation you are in, it is important to keep your head up, be confident and clear in your tone and messages, and know how to shake a hand respectfully. A lot of these kids have never been taught these things” Coach Joe states.
The second session of the program moves past the initial meeting and focuses on how to effectively ask questions and hold a conversation. In an interview situation, kids need to know what is important to talk about, what subjects they should avoid, and how to be respectful in every situation.
The third session consists of how to accurately demonstrate a skill set, product, or service. For youth involved with DJJ, it is often difficult to express the things they are passionate about with the proper language and tone.
Finally, the program concludes with a session on confidently overcoming rejection and frequently assessing where you are in your skill development. Rejection will happen in the world, whether it befrom a job or in everyday life, what is done to combat the situation tells a lot about a person’scharacter and resilience. Coach Joe wants to build that resilience among the youth that have been in tough situations all their life. It is what they do in the community that impacts the rest of their life.
Coach Joe has come to several DJJ locations, including Midlands Evaluation Center, Upstate Evaluation Center, Camp Aspen and Aiken and Kershaw JRT Sites. One of his favorite memories of this program occurred when a 16 year-old put his training into action at his parole hearing. “A youthtook what we learned in the program and applied the knowledge and new career aspirations with the judge. He was able to move on to the next part of the process in returning to the community because he learned how to speak respectfully and honestly.” Coach Joe remembers.
“The best thing for me is seeing the wheels turn in a kids head and finally see that light click on, just yesterday we were doing mock interviews as part of week three and these kids are amazing, they demonstrated what we had gone over, and it was amazing to see their confidence burst to the surface”
