The Opportunity Divide doesn't just keep our students disconnected from the mainstream economy; it prevents our businesses from growing. Gerald Chertavian More Quotes by Gerald Chertavian More Quotes From Gerald Chertavian I was taught very early on how you treat people is actually what matters. Gerald Chertavian taught what-matters people College today is an expensive option without a lot of economies of scale, right, when you go and live at a college. So you have a system that's increasing its cost base by probably five percent a year. Gerald Chertavian cost college years The ABCs are attitude, behavior and communication skills. Gerald Chertavian communication skills attitude One can fall into the soft bigotry of low expectations. Gerald Chertavian expectations lows fall You can't give until you have. Gerald Chertavian giving The best thing we can do for a young person is to expect a great deal from them. Gerald Chertavian best-things deals young Year Up for me is a year in which the young adults that we serve have an opportunity to move up in their lives and gain the access and opportunity they need to realize their potential. Gerald Chertavian opportunity years moving Years ago, as I was beginning my professional career on Wall Street, I volunteered as a Big Brother in New York City. Gerald Chertavian wall brother new-york Businesses are no longer receiving the cost savings from outsourcing that they once did. Gerald Chertavian receiving saving cost Mentors provide professional networks, outlets for frustration, college and career counseling, general life advice, and most importantly, an extra voice telling a student they are smart enough and capable enough to cross the stage at graduation and land their first paycheck from a career pathway job. Gerald Chertavian job smart frustration life You have, unfortunately, a K-12 educational system where the requirements to graduate are not the requirements to be college and career-ready. So if you want young adults who are college and career-ready, our K-12 system right now does not have that as its standard. Gerald Chertavian you college young want You can learn what you want to learn through hard work. And a good employer will teach you what you want to learn as long as you show the right attitude and behaviors. Gerald Chertavian good hard-work work attitude The saying in business is that, 'You hire for skills and you fire for behavior.' And one would argue that in order to move up in career, to be promoted, to take on additional responsibility, in many ways that's linked more to the attitudes and behaviors that you carry rather than what you know technically about a given subject. Gerald Chertavian you business responsibility fire Many training programs and often schools focus on just a skill or a kind of work competency. That's only half the equation. Gerald Chertavian skill training focus work The millennial generation and a growing number of employees are looking for more than just a paycheck. If a nonprofit could make that easy for me, they are doing me a favor. It's not just a one-way value exchange; it is an internal morale building opportunity. Gerald Chertavian value looking me opportunity When it comes to expanding opportunity, businesses and young adults are not the sources of the problem - they are a substantial part of the solution. Gerald Chertavian solution problem young opportunity As we say at Year Up all the time, investing in our young people is not just a matter of economic justice. It's good business sense. Gerald Chertavian good business time people Many of our students say, 'We wish we had a mentor in high school. We wish we had someone we could spend more time with, who paid more attention to us, who I could sit down with and talk to when I had a problem.' So relationships are critical. Gerald Chertavian down problem time school I've never been afraid to make a polite ask to someone. Gerald Chertavian ask afraid someone never It's not always the case that doing what's right is also doing what's smart, but when it is, the question of 'what to do' should be pretty simple. Gerald Chertavian doing always smart simple
