October 30, 2012 > Training for the future Training for the future Submitted By Youth and Family Services After 16 weeks of getting up early every weekday morning, beginning in Union City and arriving in West Oakland promptly at 8 a.m. in order to actively participate in eight hours of training, Ben Escatel and Jarred Cole graduated Cypress Mandela Training Center on October 11, 2012. They are the seventh and eighth clients from Youth and Family Services of Union City (YFS) to have successfully completed the program. Cypress Mandela Training Center provides pre-apprentice construction and life skills training. These two young men have made mistakes in the past, but they are currently focused on making positive choices for their future in order to provide for their families and to inspire their peers who are facing similar obstacles. On their graduation, they thanked Youth and Family Services for support and for linking them with this program. These two young men are motivated to begin a career in the building trades. They are currently looking for contractors to sponsor them. These young men are prepared to embark upon this new career and represent themselves as positive examples of what Cypress Mandela and Youth and Family Services have prepared them for. If you would like to sponsor these young men in the construction trades, please contact YFS Employment Coordinator Fabiola Camarillo at (510) 675-5820.