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Formed back in November 1971 in Seattle, Washington, Starbucks Company has grown and made it to the fortune 500 companies in the world. It has been for eleven years in a row been named as one of the ethical companies of the world by Ethisphere Institute (Kauflin 2017). According to Starbucks Coffee Company (2017), the Starbucks Foundation was created back in 1997 aiming to support communities by financing literacy programs in Canada and the United States. In the present day, the Starbucks Foundation is showing their support to communities around the world by providing opportunities for the youth, community services, providing associative support to Tea, coffee and Cocoa planting Communities as well as providing access to clean water for more than 500,000 people in the world.
Of all the activities engaged in by the Starbucks Company, as a part of their commitment to strengthen communities, providing opportunities for the youth according to my opinion is so far one of the greatest accomplishments that they have been able to accomplish in this age, since providing well-organized after school activities has the ability to provide the youth with treasured necessities for personal as well as societal development in general (Kahne, Nagaoka and Brown et al., 2001)
There are a number of organizations all over America that engage in providing opportunities for Youth. An example is Unilever which offers youth with Entrepreneurship opportunities as well as internships and part- time jobs teaching them to earn a living. Most of the organizations approach youth empowerment by providing to them Entrepreneurship opportunities and facilitating their Volunteer Work as well as their service Projects. However Starbucks efforts compare to theirs such that they not only offer the youth opportunities above but also embroil them in Involved Evaluation with the youth and engaging them in program design, development, execution and delivery of service.
Recommendations for Starbucks Company
Youth empowerment and development programs should not only prevent adolescents from engaging in behaviors that deem compromising to their health, but also seek to shape their competencies and abilities. (Roth & Brooks-Gunn 2003). The authors go on to add that the programs should do this by increasing the participants’ contact to environments that would prove to be empowering as well as supportive and where the activities that they engage in, evoke several opportunities for a variety of horizon-broadening and skill-development experiences.
I would strongly recommend that Starbucks intensifies their youth development programs by incorporating more opportunities for the youth and reach out to places where the youth need the opportunities more. As Brendtro & Brokenleg (2009) point out, there are more youths out there from Garfat in Canada to Cape Town in South Africa, who have tangible ideas that would change the world if only supported and given the breakthrough that they need. Therefore as an internationally recognized company Starbucks should engage in activities that are likely to reach the less fortunate youth in our societies, to bring change.
Along in the list of their youth empowerment opportunities, Starbucks should engage in stimulating personal development in the youth. They should organize forums and invite motivational speakers as well as personal development coaches to train the youth and enact in them the drive and spirit that they need in order to stimulate change in the world. All the activities that Starbucks are and should be engaging in, are all directed towards bringing change in the society through showing support for their community. Engaging in more youth empowerment opportunities would help ensure that we have a better economy and a better people in the future.
- Brendtro, L., & Brokenleg, M. (2009). Reclaiming youth at risk: Our hope for the future. Solution Tree Press.
- Kauflin, J. (2017). Forbes Welcome.
- Kahne, J., Nagaoka, J., Brown, A., O’BRIEN, J. A. M. E. S., Quinn, T., & Thiede, K. (2001).
- Assessing after-school programs as contexts for youth development. Youth & Society, 32(4), 421-446.
- Roth, J. L., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2003). What exactly is a youth development program? Answers from research and practice. Applied developmental science, 7(2), 94-111.
- Starbucks Coffee Company. (2017). Starbucks Foundation.