There was this student, a sturdy-looking kid with a firm handshake and an eagerness to start his career. He wanted an internship in the trades, and he wanted to try it out before heading off to college. He already had been accepted at a Maine-based college for this major, and so he was an ideal fit for our Connecting to Tomorrow internship. We connected him to a local business, and in the entrance interview, we watched him pose a version of this query to the company: “I want to work in this field, and so I was thinking about interning at [specific company that is a competitor of this business he was speaking to], so tell me why interning with you is a better idea.”

I don’t know what I was expecting when we launched the Connecting to Tomorrow internship program, but it wasn’t that. Assertive. Determined. I was impressed.

To the company’s credit, they unflinchingly described what the student would be doing at the other company and then contrasted that with why their company would be a better fit to give him more experiences. The student was convinced, and they started the internship. Not only was it a good connection, but the company helped the student with course selection. Currently he is an active student and has also been hired by the company to work for them while he goes through school.

There was this other student, as eager in their eyes as the first student but not in posture, who wanted an internship, too. Clearly a creative person, she wanted experience in food service or retail, and when she told us her interests, anyone could see the amount of gumption she needed to work up to even approach us with the ask. Nerves and anxiety are real, especially with students who may not be born extroverts, but she asked, and we made a connection with a downtown retailer for an internship. At the initial meeting, we began to see her come out of her shell, and knowing the business owners, we were sure we made the right connection. Fast forward two months, and she is speaking at our internship celebration event, without a microphone, in full voice and rattling on about her positive internship experience.

That’s just two of the stories from the dozens of students who have participated or are currently participating in the Connecting to Tomorrow internship program. This program doesn’t just give opportunities, it changes lives. We have an opportunity as a community to set these young people on a path towards fulfilling and rewarding careers, and thus we must do that.

We must remember that there are certain disadvantages this generation of student has had. We were brought up drinking hose water, being unattended in our play, being told to come home once the street lights come, and when we wanted to talk to our boyfriend or girlfriend in high school, we needed to have conversations with their parents until they handed the phone over. A pandemic stunted that growth for many young people, as had the technological changes and societal changes. Youths don’t have as many opportunities to have conversations with strangers, especially adults, and it’s hard to fault them for it.

The United Way of Mid Coast Maine is the lead partner along with the Bath-Brunswick-Topsham Regional Chamber on the Connecting to Tomorrow internship program. This is a free internship for employers as students get paid through the grant and even have their transportation covered. It is a 20-hour or 40-hour internship in total, and the employer gets to structure the schedule by what works for them. Most importantly, it gives the students the experiences they can’t get anywhere else.

We have money to fund 10-15 more internships before the end of this school year. We know we will find students for the opportunities; what we need is three to four more businesses to sign up now for students to have experience over the next three months.

Along with Maggie Cummings, my United Way colleague in this work, we would love to come meet you and discuss the opportunities here. If you are wondering right now what you can do to help your community, even in a small way, giving an opportunity at your organization to learn about a potential career is a great way to do it. It is a responsibility of our communities to help our young leaders connect to tomorrow.

Cory King is executive director of the Bath-Brunswick-Topsham Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor
We believe a community must be informed to thrive. bowdoin.edu