Fox Racing’s Career Exploration Program Helps Local At-Risk Youth

Fox Racing has developed a career exploration program in their Irvine headquarters for local at-risk youth. The goal of the program is to generate a spark of interest in a particular career path that interests them, build confidence in their ability to become self-sufficient, give them a local community of support that believes in them, and encourage a lifetime of healthy habits through outdoor activities.

This month they hosted participants in the newly formed Lyon Workforce Academy, which is a program of Orangewood Foundation in Santa Ana, California. Orangewood Foundation helps young adults transition from foster care, homelessness, and trafficking by providing resources in a safe, supportive environment. The Lyon Workforce Academy creates a learning and experience-based opportunity to build vocational skills with the goal of achieving gainful employment to support themselves and their families. Fox Racing hosted a group from the academy that is part of a year-long cohort that is just launching, to help them learn about career options in product design, facilities management, marketing, web design, project management and environmental design. Many thanks to Steven Kennedy, Krista McCord, Kricket Atkinson, Josh Rosales, Mikey Rangel, Nico Giannulli, and Brandon Taylor for volunteering their time!

The administrators of the Lyon Workforce Academy, who participated in this visit, felt there was enough value to make the Fox Racing Career Exploration Program a regular part of future cohorts.

Following the visit, participants had an opportunity to provide anonymous feedback. One participant left an insightful comment. "I learned that even if you are given a certain job title, you have the opportunity to learn new skills and apply them with different roles. Just because you start in one department or start with a limited amount of skills doesn't mean that's your story. Life is what you make it."