Pathway to Success: Jamie’s Story

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At the age of 17, after a bully beat him so badly for being gay that he ended up in the hospital, Jamie Nabozny ran away from home, eventually finding himself at YouthLink.

Jamie’s case manager connected him to basic needs and housing, and encouraged him to consider what he wanted in life—not just what he had been through. His case manager even helped Jamie enroll in college.

Jamie—now a vice President at Sunrise Banks—credits his success to the long-term support and relationships he built at YouthLink. He says that, for every one of YouthLink’s clients, having a long-term relationship with someone you can call when you have personal issues is incredibly important—whether that is with a YouthLink case manager, or a mentor in the larger community.

One of the ways YouthLink helps young people on the journey to self sufficiency is by involving community members through internship programs with local businesses and the Community Connectors program that gives young people mentors.

According to Jamie, it is important “that YouthLink is trying to pull in more of the entire community to assist, because we absolutely need everybody involved in this to make sure that we help these kids. The entire community needs to be involved in helping our children—not only is it the right thing to do, but it’s the right thing to do, economically, for our future.”

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