Bank of America partners with NFL, MLB partners for youth employment opportunities


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DJ Moore always dreamed of playing in the NFL, but growing up in Philadelphia, the Carolina Panthers wide receiver knew he would have to make other connections and gain non-footballing experience if his plan didn’t work out.

As part of his senior project at Imhotep Charter, Moore completed a two-month internship at the Hahnemann University Hospital to gain practical experience as an athletic trainer. He made such an impression that they told the teenager that he would be welcome back after graduation.

“I learned a lot, a lot,” says Moore. “Everything starts with who you know and who knows about you and how they perceive you. If you come in and work hard they will say the same thing to the boss who may hire you across the board. To have this experience and to leave an impression on them was the greatest. “

While Moore played for the University of Maryland before being named 24th overall by Carolina in the 2018 NFL Draft, the 24-year-old understands the importance of networking and making a good impression.

In an effort to connect young people with paid internships and valuable mentors in the field to guide future success, Bank of America

BAC
has partnered with MLB and NFL partners like the St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, New England Patriots, and Panthers to bring opportunity to young people, mostly from communities of color. The bank is also using two events – the Chicago Marathon and the Nascar Cup Series Roval 400 race – as opportunities for interns to gain experience and contacts in the sports industry.

The newly formed coalition is part of the bank’s $ 1.25 billion five-year pledge announced in March to promote racial equality and economic opportunity.

“Our partnerships and sponsorship go way beyond the signs you might see outside or on some of the things you see in the park,” said Michele Barlow, executive vice president of enterprise marketing for Bank of America. “Most of our partners and we are always looking for ways to give back to local communities. When we shook hands and said that we wanted to form this coalition, everyone was on board. “

These opportunities come at a crucial time, especially for young people. Although the U.S. economy created 531,000 jobs in October, it employs 4.2 million fewer people today than it was before the pandemic.

According to a survey by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, a greater proportion of Americans ages 13 to 24 say the pandemic is more difficult to study, career goals, and social life compared to Millennials and Generation X. has made. Almost half of Generation Z Americans surveyed (46%) say the Covid-19 pandemic has made their careers or education difficult, compared with 36% of Millennials surveyed and 31% of Generation X.

“Right now, while the pandemic is underway, a lot of people are looking for jobs and even young people are just trying to make their own money,” says Moore, who has 938 yards and four touchdowns at 72 receptions this season. “What Bank of America does is give them leeway and some insight into what it takes to do that and be in a real 9-5 job with the internship.”

As part of the program, an intern from a Charlotte-based HBCU will work with the Panthers’ community relations team and Game Day activation team until the end of the year, with mentor Riley Fields, the organization’s director of community relations .

Another intern in Boston is learning from program director Brad Schoonmaker and the Red Sox Foundation. For the Chicago Marathon, Bank of America partnered with local nonprofit partner After School Matters to offer internship opportunities to four local student-athletes at the new Track & Field Center in Gately Park.

With approximately 20 interns working with MLB and NFL organizations, Bank of America and its partners will be looking at how the program can scale through 2022 and beyond.

“We wanted to make sure we were structuring ways in which students build skills that can, but don’t necessarily have to be, skills in a sports profession, be it communication skills or leadership,” says Barlow. “One of the most valuable parts of the program was connecting the intern with a mentor – it wasn’t just about giving them the opportunity to get a paid internship.

“We really wanted to make sure that there was a combination of living life skills that could take them forward, creating mentoring opportunities that were likely to open doors, and creating an income opportunity while also learning professional skills. “

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