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A new local initiative—Junior League of Birmingham: Birmingham City Schools Career Cafes—is helping middle school students gain an understanding of diverse career paths.

Students visit the JLB building to learn about different jobs, career readiness and more. Keep reading to learn all about this impactful program.

The JLB is providing mentoring opportunities for Birmingham students

Students are eager to learn from JLB mentors at the Career Cafes. (Junior League of Birmingham)

During each Career Cafes session, 8th grade students from Birmingham City Schools are able to meet Junior League members working in various industries, including:

Accounting
Banking
Customer service
Healthcare
Law
Law enforcement
Human resources
Nonprofit
Public relations

The JLB provides transportation and lunch for the students as they learn from interactive presentations, discussions and hands-on activities led by League volunteers. Students learn about the preparation required and the work involved to be successful in various careers, with the goal of helping them select a career pathway to pursue in high school.

Here are some of the schools taking part of the Career Cafes program this year:

Hayes K-8
Washington K-8
Jones Valley Middle School
Green Acres Middle School
W.E. Putnam Middle School
Wilkerson Middle School
W.J. Christian K-8 School

The Career Cafes have already been a success

The JLB has already hosted several Career Cafes that have been very successful.

“The students have been very receptive and engaging. It opens up these young peoples’ eyes to who they can become.

They have lots of ‘light bulb’ moments. After a few minutes, they get comfortable and ask questions about specific career fields and how they can get there.”
Kim Grant, JLB Birmingham City Schools Career Cafes, Chair

The Cafes go hand-in-hand with JLB’s goal of advancing education and culture in Birmingham.

“We are thrilled to offer this program in partnership with Birmingham City Schools. By connecting students with passionate professionals, we hope to spark their curiosity, ignite their potential and empower them to pursue their dreams.”
June Clark, President, JLB

The JLB is prioritizing education in Birmingham

For over 100 years, the Junior League of Birmingham has been a positive force for change in Jefferson County, with support for quality education being a major priority.

Their nearly 2,000 trained volunteers collectively donate more than 40,000 hours of direct community service in Birmingham each year.

Junior League of Birmingham: Birmingham City Schools Career Cafes are just one of the JLB’s 28 community placements that address some of our community’s most critical issues. Additional initiatives focus on: