BY CRAIG GILBERT
Recent Laurentian University marketing graduate Heather Visneskie is caught in that old vicious cycle: she can?t get a job because she doesn?t have experience, and she can?t get experience because she doesn?t have a job.
The 23-year-old hopes her experience on this year?s incarnation of the Greater Sudbury Youth Cabinet will help change that.
?I interviewed for a job at the city a while back and didn?t get it, but they were impressed and I guess my name was bounced around until it landed on Dawn Morissette?s desk,? she said Thursday night.
She is one of the about 25 young citizens who took part in the reconvening meeting of the Youth Cabinet.
Visneskie has had eight job interviews since she graduated in the spring, but no luck aside from encouraging phone calls.
?They always call me back and tell me why I wasn?t chosen and offer me advice,? she said.
She hopes to make some contacts through the cabinet, which is the main point of the campaign this year, according to Morissette.
?I know I don?t have experience and I don?t mind entry level positions, I just need a start,? Visneskie said. ?I?m teachable and adaptable in a variety of atmospheres. I need a chance.?
Morissette wants to give her one.
This second year of the Youth Cabinet is all about networking and proving to the business community there are lots of talented, young people who live here.
Last year the Youth Cabinet, through several campaigns, laid the groundwork for a youth-friendly city.
?We built on things that make the city a youth-friendly city, for example through our Stay, Study, Succeed sticker
campaign.?
Those stickers were placed in the doors and front windows of businesses across the city as a show of welcoming spirit for the city?s talented young workforce.
The networking and job program is what Morissette brings to the table.
At Thursday?s meeting, the cabinet members delegated tasks needed to complete the overall project and received information on two workshops they will be able to attend in the coming weeks.
The first, called Dress for Success, is confirmed for Feb. 5. It will be held at College Boreal and will focus on the members finding their own voice and style.
Nearer the project?s completion, Youth Cabinet members will be able to embark on a campaign of 10-minute presentations to various businesses and employers, including Greater Sudbury Mayor Dave Courtemanche.
?We want them to see that though 10 minutes isn?t a lot of time in the grand scheme of things, it is just enough time to meet someone and remember their message, which is what they will be doing.?
Sean Poland is a business development officer at the Greater Sudbury Development Corporation.
He said he wants to see the Youth Cabinet take ownership of the current project, and pick up some invaluable networking skills.
?I?m hoping to see some sustainability in the youth cabinet itself and in the resources it provides to our young
people,? he said.
