By: Brandon

My name is Brandon Porter . I'm 16 years old and works for Artworks. I finally finished my Mosaic today and it looks wonderful. I'm very proud of myself.The Name of my Mosaic is " You Choose" . The message I'm looking to send out to our neighborhood is Be smart and lets all come together as One and make our community a better place to be.

Week 5 -- by: Shade'

Work Tasks completed in week 4:

• We continued laying glass on the window.
• We meet our career coaches at manpower.
• We had our midpoint performance evaluations.
• Took pictures to start moving forward for invitations.
• Flyer design had a committee meeting.
• we had various committee meetings.

Employability Skills practiced in week 4:

• Building consensus
• Performance review
• Excepting constructive criticism
• Talk to career coaches about career exploration
• managing deadlines
• Productivity and accountability

This Week = Week 5
Tasks:

• Start Grouting
• Continue laying glass
• Work on our frames
• Blog
• Continue with committee meetings
• Talk about our frame designs.
• Thursday 88.9 managers will be here to interview some employees

Employability skills:

• Collaboration Skills
• Interacting with the public
• Meeting deadlines
• improving performance based on results from evaluations

Personal thoughts from Shade':

• This program is a big challenge I can say.
• I learned a lot of good things by working at ArtWorks.
• I thought when I got here the job was going to be easy.
• Its really challenging -- the work ethic i had to follow.
• For me this is the best work i have ever had because it's teaching me to be a responsible employee.
  

Week 4

Tasks Completed:

• Blog about progress
• Start layout to figure out glass estimates
• Talk about safety
• Guest speaker - Ryan Bakouras
• Check in goal setting sheets
• Polished & primed mosaic frames

Employability Skills:

• Collaboration
• Working as a team to set deadlines
• Preparing & self prep
• Professionalism

This Week:

• Blog
• Mid-point evaluations
• Continue production of windows
• Career coach meeting - Manpower
• Continue work on artist statements
• Flyer committee meetings
• Paint mosaic frames

Skills For The Week:

• Creativity & innovation
• Productivity & accountability
• Fundamental job skills
• Cross cultural skills

Personal Response:

"I am very excited to be working with mosaics; taking it step by step to create a work of art. I enjoy working with others as well as working independently, and I think this experience is a great opportunity to do so. I can't wait to see how this project turns out! I'm sure it'll finish excellent."

-Selena

Week 3: Eric S.

Tasks completed in Week 2:

• Blogged about progress
• Informal performance reviews
• Went to Manpower, Inc.
  
• Met our career coaches
• Made our Mosaic frames
• Went through demonstration on cutting and placing glass
• Finished templates-taped into window for fit

Employability Skills practiced in Week 2:

• Creating more professional resume
• Creativity and innovation
• Initiative and self-direction
• Corporate meetings
• Dependability in getting back to work from Manpower
  

Tasks we will complete in Week 3:

• Blogging about what happened last week
• A meeting with the poetry group to plan our unveiling event
• Transfer template design on window
• Estimate amount and kind of glass for windows and make shopping lists
• Pair up to cut glass for windows
• Guest speaker for an hour

Employability Skills We Will Practice in Week 3:

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
  
• Learning how to write a formal estimate report
• Productivity and accountability skills
  

Personal Thoughts About the Program:

• A great program overall with great people involved
  
• It challenges me to be an artist
• It opens my eyes to a lot of things that takes place in communities in Milwaukee
• It helps mold me into a better employee with every little thing that we do; including Manpower
  

Pictures from Week 2, all taken by Helen Goodman

Want to see even more pictures?
Go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/artworksformilwaukee/sets/72157624396830040/

Selena's window design concept.
Niesha and Brandon are "in the zone."
Lead Artist Nicole Lesser manages her team.
Ken concentrates on the task at hand.
Helen's window design concept.
Eric, Alex & Selena design their frames.
Eric journals.
Eric & Alex are in uniform!
End-of-the-shift reflection.

Brandon and Niesha hide from the camera.
Alex's window design concept.
Alex & Selena design their frames.