Genesys Works Recognized in Forbes



Founder & CEO Rafael Alvarez



Impact 30 Top Social Entrepreneurs

Genesys Works Founder and CEO, Rafael Alvarez was recently highlighted by Forbes Magazine when it released Impact 30, its list of the top 30 social entrepreneurs in the world.  This is the first time Forbes has ever recognized, in a list like this, the entrepreneurs who are "tackling the world's most intractable problems."  In making these selections, the panel of experts retained by Forbes looked for individuals and organizations taking a business approach to solving some of the world's most difficult social problems, and we couldn't agree more with this well-deserved recognition.  

Forbes’ recognition is really a tribute to all of those involved at Genesys Works – our board members, our team of professionals, our interns, and our corporate, philanthropic, and school partners. Together, we are making a profound and very meaningful difference.  Our thanks to all our supporters for sharing the vision to fundamentally change the tracks of life for so many young people in our urban communities.

Read the full article from the December 19th edition of Forbes using the link above.  Again, thank you and congratulations for this Forbes Impact 30 award!

Alumni “Double Down”!

Alumni Return for College Panel and Casino Night!



Panel Participants: James Beeks, Daniel Parker and Brianna Berry



On December 20th Genesys Works - Houston had their College Panels for Downtown and Westside interns.  The College Panel is a yearly event where Genesys Works' alumni, while home on college break, offer college advice to our current interns.  This event is open to our interns and their parents to come and ask questions. 

The alumni panel participants were:

• Sindy Saldana - University of Houston - Downtown, Criminal Justice, Class 7
• James Beeks - Stephen F. Austin, Organizational Communication, Class 8
• Brianna Berry - Tennessee State, Supply Chain Management, Class 9
• Daniel Parker - University of Texas, Computer Science, Class 9
• Troy Williams - Georgetown, International Politics, Class 9
• Reggie Walker - University of Texas, Business, Class 9
• Giovanni Garza - Texas A&M, History, Class 9

The questions ranged from “How did your parents handle you leaving for college?” to “Did you feel prepared, or was it a huge wake-up call?” The theme of the night was definitely Time Management. It was nice to hear that our alumni felt they were prepared for the demands of a college schedule because they juggled school, an internship, homework, and Genesys Works’ Career and College Connection meetings during their senior year of high school. The alumni gave our interns great advice about going to class, studying, filling out scholarships, managing a schedule, picking a roommate, and getting involved on their college campus.  James Beeks offered up one last piece of advice, “Make sure you call your parents at least every week or every two weeks; they just want to know you are OK.”

Blackjack Players: Salomon Benitez, Pablo Delgado, Van Vu and Bryan Lopez

Immediately following the College Panel, Classes 1-9 were invited to attend the Alumni Casino Night (a “no-money-involved” fun time).  We had a great turn out; over 70 alumni came out in support of the evening! The night consisted of casino craps, blackjack, roulette, and Texas Hold ’em, for a chance to win raffle tickets.  And if that wasn’t enough, there was also a karaoke machine! Our alumni sure know how to sing. We ended the night by raffling off some awesome prizes, and Class 9 alum, Israel Vela, went home with the GRAND prize - over $20 in lottery tickets, poker themed tumblers, chocolate candies, and a full poker set and playing guide! It was a great chance for alumni to catch up with each other and the Genesys Works staff. The evening was truly a success, building close bonds and camaraderie within our alumni family!

Aligned with Genesys Works’ Impact on Individuals

Matt and family at Angkor Wat

Matt Heath manages HP’s South Asia Center for Excellence.  Matt has personally contributed to our organization for many years on our Board of Directors and as a donor.  Matt recently told us what motivates his personal involvement in Genesys Works.

“I worked with Rafael at Compaq/HP and was a sounding board for Rafael when he was deciding to make the switch from big company to founding Genesys Works.  I was on the Board of Directors from the startup until I moved to Malaysia with HP in February 2011.  I have gladly contributed financially and with my time every year and engaged multiple people from HP with Genesys Works as contributors, volunteers and employees. It is an easy organization for which to be an ambassador.  

The reason I actively support Genesys Works is the impact it has on individuals.  Genesys Works inverts Stalin’s quote "The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic."  There are many statistics about the problems of the economically disadvantaged in the U.S.  Statistics and structural problems of millions of people are overwhelming and make it easy to look away and do nothing.  Genesys Works allows each of us to have a positive impact and change the life of individuals and individual families.  Nothing could be more important – change occurs one individual at a time.   I have been fortunate to see this change in individual students, from the beginning of their time with Genesys Works through to graduation and beyond.  The impact and change over the 14 months is inspiring.  Watching a student stumble over reading a children’s book to his peers at the beginning of the training and then making a commencement speech to an audience of hundreds of strangers is amazing. 

It is easy to be discouraged or cynical about the U.S.’s place in the world today; but, with organizations like Genesys Works, I remain confident in the future of the U.S.”

Thank you, Matt, for investing in the future of our youth, business vitality and the local community. Charitably supporting Genesys Works – Houston is a simple process. You may contact Randy Penn, Director of Development or give directly on-line at Genesys Works. 

10th Anniversary Gala, Changing the Track of Life

What happens when momentum becomes tangible? When you cannot only feel it, but you can see and experience it?  This is happening with Genesys Works and the incredible transformation we are making in the lives of thousands of young people and the companies for whom they work. Forbes Magazine recognizes this momentum by naming Genesys Works and its founder as one of the top 30 social entrepreneurs in the world. And, the business community, the White House and more are taking note.

What started as a way for a few students to get a better job has become one of the most successful social enterprises in America by changing the trajectory of life for students who are learning that they can be successful in the corporate world. Low-income students, once destined to a lifetime of low-wage occupations, are taught critical skills and exposed to a professional world they would have otherwise never had the chance to see.

This is achieved by training high school seniors in specific technical and professional skills that they immediately apply in meaningful internships at large corporations during their entire senior year of high school.  In addition, one evening each week they return to our offices for active guidance on work performance, college access and scholarships.  The results are highly-skilled, young professionals – not simply interns – that directly impact the success of the organizations they serve. And, more than 95% of our graduates go on to college.

To celebrate a decade of accomplishment, our 10th Anniversary Gala, Changing the Track of Life, will take place April 18, 2012, at Houston’s Union Station. Denise and Charles Hazen will Chair and El Paso Corporation will be honored for its history of involvement, with Doug Foshee as our keynote speaker.

There is no better time to make an impact than now -- with a program recognized across the country for its revolutionary approach and meaningful results. And, we are excited to share that a Texas family has made a bold commitment to match every individual underwriting gift of $10,000 or more and every corporate underwriting gift of $25,000 or more, dollar-for-dollar, up to a total of $400,000.  This makes investment in the success of our program more important than ever.

Together, let’s start our new decade in which we will change the track of life for thousands more youth and the visionary companies for whom they work.  Thank you for your support.

For information, please contact Randy Penn at 713-337-0510, rpenn@genesysworks.org or Christi Parker at 713-337-0503, cparker@genesysworks.org. 

Genesys Works – Houston to be Highlighted at the CIO Executive Leadership Summit

Hunter Muller, President & CEO of HMG Strategy, LLC

On February 9, 2012, the Houston CIO Executive Leadership Summit will be held in Houston at the JW Marriott Hotel. HMG Strategy is the highly recognized producer of this event as well as exceptional CIO leadership events throughout the country. Please visit their website at www.hmgstrategy.com to see information about the event, their National Advisory Board and their community of top CIO leaders. Hunter Muller is the founder of HMG Strategy and is a veteran industry thought leader and author.

HMG Strategy has advised Genesys Works - Houston that we have been selected as the local non-profit organization to be highlighted during the summit.  We are sincerely honored by this selection and are grateful for their commitment to our mission and the awareness our participation will provide during this, our 10-year anniversary. 

The CIO Executive Leadership Summit will attract CIO/IT leaders and executives from across the greater Houston area.  The title of the event is The Transformational CIO:  Building the Future through Innovation and Leadership.  Key topics will include the Cloud, Mobile Computing, Social Media, Security, BI and Strategic Sourcing, among others. It is designed to deliver world class thought leadership in a club-like setting.  Attendees will receive unique insight into best practices and will hear success stories involving leadership, management, technology transformation and career development.  The summit offers a unique opportunity to build relationships with peers and gain the latest insights and best practices that are driving business value through the use of information technology.

Genesys Works’ representatives will be present throughout the event to answer questions about our organization, our mission and demonstrate how we are changing the trajectory of life for young professionals, from often-meaningless jobs, to educated careers in Information Technology.

Genesys Works urges CIO/IT leaders and executives to consider adding this to their schedule.  To attend, register on their website at REGISTRATION. HMG is interested in adding participants to their prestigious Advisory Board as well. So, if you are interested in participating on that front, please contact HMG Strategy directly at advisoryboard@hmgstrategy.com, or call them at 203-221-2702.

We look forward to seeing you there and sharing the Genesys Works story with you.

G2 Partners Teams Up With Genesys Works

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Alumni Ubeid Dzanic, Class 10 interns Emmanuel Imo and Juan Coronado

  

Genesys Works - Houston was thrilled to bring on G2 Partners, LLC, as one of 11 new corporate partners in 2011. G2 Partners first heard about Genesys Works from current client, El Paso Corporation, which employs 17 interns. 

Originally, they agreed to engage one Class 10 Engineering Drafting intern in August.  But it didn’t take long for the team at G2 Partners to see the work ethic and value that their intern, Emmanuel Imo, high school senior attending Elsik High School, provided before they added another intern…and then another…then another.  Yes, we are grateful to now have two Class 10 interns and two alumni happily working at G2. 

Manny Longoria, the interns’ G2 Partners' supervisor, says “We really appreciate the quality of the interns we get here. We give them the same workload as everyone else because they have earned it.”  He describes the interns as “supremely competent” and he “loves the interns Genesys Works has offered.  In time, I’ll want more.”

G2 Partners’ relationship with Genesys Works - Houston continues to grow.  They seek out our interns when they have employment needs- a true testament to the skills and training of the current Genesys Works interns.  They have also generously underwritten our 10^th Anniversary Gala, Changing the Track of Life, April 18, 2012, at the Leadership level. 

G2 Partners, LLC is an international business advisory and project investment group. They also have their own projects and investments, primarily in the area of renewable energy and distressed real estate.

Genesys Works - Houston is thankful to G2 Partners for reaching out and making a difference in their interns’ lives and the Houston community. We look forward to the future of our partnership with G2 Partners, and we are excited to see how we can transform Houston together.

A Running Start to a Bright Future Ahead

Class 10, congrats on all that you have accomplished so far!

The summer is an exciting time at Genesys Works – Houston.  In June, we welcomed 260 students of Class 10 from their 8-week training program.  For them, the June 13 - August 5 course was a huge step on their path to a bright future.  The training equipped them with job and professionals skills that they will need in their meaningful internships, during their senior year of high school, and in their careers.  Class 10 represented an increase of 80% (over 2010) in the number of students entering the summer training program, preparing for corporate internships in the fall. 



Young Professionals bonding through
activities at Team up

Throughout the training program, students engaged in bonding and learning experiences that made their summers worthwhile. By day, Young Professionals were hard at work in the Genesys Works office learning professional and technical skills. But after the first week at Genesys Works, the Young Professionals let loose and engaged in team-building activities at Team Up.  During Family Night, families were invited to come out and see what their children had been up to all summer. Our Young Professionals beamed as they demonstrated some of the skills they had learned and mingled with other families and friends. Genesys Works' Young Professionals also built stronger relationships with each other and our staff through Fun Nights, where students and staff competed in sand volleyball, played Pictionary, and enjoyed each other's company.

These group activities fostered a strong community, but it was also the activities in the classroom that  helped students to feel empowered and confident, two important emotions that feed into performance in the workplace. Says Adrian Munoz, Young Professional of Class 10, "I became more comfortable with myself and others. My coordinator Lindsay helped us come out of our 'zone'...we all just shared things with each other and stepped out of our comfort zone.  At the end of it all, I gained several friendships and more confidence."

Word of the proven success of the Genesys Works model is spreading within the partner schools. This year, Genesys Works-Houston experienced an all-time high in student demand, with more than 600 applicants for summer 2011 internship training.  To meet the growth in demand, we doubled our training center capacity this year.  In addition to our four classrooms in the downtown training facility, Genesys Works – Houston added two more training rooms downtown and an additional two in the Westside Energy Corridor.   The new site increases access to both students and major corporations in the area.

Congratulations, members of Class 10.  We recognize the initiative and motivation you showed with your commitment to the Genesys Works program, and to your future; and we wish each of you great success! We are excited to see where the future takes you.