Thomas County and Thomasville face the challenge of high illiteracy, low high school graduation rates and high youth unemployement along with all of Southwest Georgia. The 12 for Life Program created by the Southwire Corporation of Carrollton served as a model for the Great Promise Partnership Program developed by the State of Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
The program works with youth that are at risk of not graduating from high school, with the promise that if they will continue their education, we will support their efforts and help them prepare for further education, military service or the workforce after graduation.
To qualify for participation, students must be in danger of not graduating, must qualify for free or reduced price lunches, and have high potential but lack eligibility for other programs. Qualifying students in the ninth grade attend after school classes for real life training, leadership development and mentoring.
Teens sixteen years and older work part-time at entry level jobs while continuing to attend school. Schools see their graduation rates rise, employers develop trained employees, and the community has the advantage of lower social services burden and more productive citizens.
The effort of the Rotary Club of Thomasville, the two local school systems and local employers was begun in the Fall of 2014 and continued in the first quarter of 2015 with meetings of all parties to find interested employers. It is hoped that two or three employers will be partners in the program in the Fall of 2016.