BEREA, Ky. — When a school program is threatened, adults usually do the talking: board members, administrators, budget spreadsheets. Last spring, Berea students showed another way.
When Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) was listed among programs at risk during district budget reductions, students didn’t just complain about losing it. They organized. They planned. They fundraised. And they helped keep the program alive.
👩🎓 A Student-Led Response
Students involved with JAG describe it as more than a line in a course catalog. For them, it’s a place where practical skills turn into confidence—interview prep, workplace habits, goal-setting, and adult mentorship that feels steady when everything else is changing.
So when they heard JAG might not make it, they responded with the very tools the program is meant to teach: communication, teamwork, and follow-through.
🎤 “Sing and Save”: Turning Worry into Action
Instead of letting the conversation stay stuck in frustration, students helped launch a community fundraiser—often remembered locally as “Sing and Save.” The goal was simple: raise enough support to keep JAG going.
It wasn’t just about money. It was about proof—proof that the program mattered to the students it served, and proof that the community would show up when young people took the lead.
In the end, they did.
💡 Why This Story Still Matters
Even a year later, the details of last spring’s budget debates can blur. But the student lesson stays clear:
- Students can lead, not just react.
- Community support can be mobilized quickly when the goal is specific and the leadership is authentic.
- A program’s value is often best explained by the people living it.
Berea has long taken pride in being a place where young people aren’t just “future adults,” but current contributors to the town’s character. This was one of those moments.
🔜 What’s Next
BereaOnline will continue highlighting student-led stories that show what’s working—especially the kind of quiet wins that don’t always get captured in the loudest headlines.
And as Berea’s students keep building skills and confidence, it’s worth noting that leadership grows in more than classrooms. It grows wherever young people are trusted with responsibility—on teams, in clubs, in churches, in volunteer work, and on local stages.