Since our last update, meaningful progress has been made toward launching Certify Teens, a workforce readiness initiative designed to remove barriers to life-saving and job-ready certifications for youth across rural Acadiana. Over the past several weeks, we finalized partnerships with training providers, confirmed host sites, secured instructor availability, and completed planning for our first certification session. Our first CPR and BLS class is scheduled for March 19th in partnership with New Vision Leadership, where we will certify 25 high school students.

This phase of the project has also been marked by deep loss. Our team and the broader Acadiana community recently lost Stephanie Smallwood, a valued team member and board member who was integral in helping bring this initiative to life. Stephanie was a true force in our region and was widely known for her powerful on-air presence, her unwavering commitment to community engagement, and her willingness to show up and support initiatives like this one. Her impact extended far beyond the microphone, and the community truly lost a legend. Certify Teens will move forward in her honor, carrying the spirit of service, connection, and empowerment that she embodied so well.
In addition to the March CPR training, we remain on track to host both CPR and ServSafe Food Handler certification sessions during the upcoming spring break at partner sites in Eunice, New Iberia, and Lafayette.

These goals include certifying 90 youth ages 14 to 19 during the pilot phase, integrating soft skills training, and using interactive, hands-on instruction to build confidence and self-reliance. We have also established a new goal of collecting employer feedback by interviewing 90 local businesses to better understand the skills and credentials that increase a teen’s likelihood of being hired.

One lesson learned during this phase has been the importance of pacing and coordination. Aligning schedules across schools, instructors, and youth-serving organizations required more time than initially projected, but this adjustment strengthened the program’s foundation and confirmed the value of strong partnerships. While the loss of a key team member has been difficult, we remain committed to completing this work with care, intention, and excellence. We are grateful for the continued support that allows Certify Teens to move forward while honoring the past and building opportunity for the future.