A new program from Jeremiah Development helps teens ages 14-18 learn small engine repair through a nine-week course of classes held evenings after school. (Photo provided by Jeff Byrne/Jeremiah Development)
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A new program from the nonprofit Jeremiah Development will teach teenagers how to repair small engines and show them how they can use those skills to start a small business.

The nine-week class for teens ages 14-18 will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. three days per week at Second First Church, 318 N. Church St. The program will give first preference to kids who live in the Coronado Haskell neighborhood, which Jeremiah Development serves, but is open to others, too.

Students will learn to fix lawn mowers, weedwackers, snow blowers and even work on motorized skate boards and small dirt bikes. Sue Kanthak, executive director of Jeremiah Development, said it’s an opportunity to keep kids off the street and help them learn a trade that can benefit them for life.

“They’re going to have an engine that they completely tear down and then rebuild,” she said. “They’ll work on the lawn equipment, diagnosis it, fix it and then they get to keep it.”

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They’ll also learn what it takes to start a business, how to balance a checkbook and order what they need.

“The goal is not that they come out certified, if they learn how to use a tool we’re happy,” Kanthak said, but if there are kids who want to take their skills further instructors and mentors will help.

“I hope they take away a learning experience for how to be entrepreneurs, how to stay focused on their dreams and goals and I hope to inspire them to use their mind and have hope for themselves,” said Nitro Starling, an outreach specialist for Jeremiah Development.

The class will have three instructors: Jason Andrews, an automotive technology instructor at Auburn High School, Peter Boline, a retired Rockford teacher, and Doug Phillips of Phillips Automotive.

Jeremiah Development also wants to pair each student with a mentor, who will be trained on how to best interact with the students. The nonprofit is looking for volunteer mentors, who must be older than 21.

“I’m going to train the mentors in that Socratic method of working with the kids and asking questions,” Kanthak said. “If they say ‘I don’t know how to do this?” Well, what don’t you know how to do? And where do you think you can find the answer? Instead of saying this is how you do it?”

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The program is supported by a $20,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois and a $5,000 grant from Kiwanis Club of Rockford.

Volunteer | sign up

Anyone interested in serving as a mentor, or having a student sign up for the class can call 815-627-0001. The first class begins on April 4.

A small engine repair textbook that will be used in the Jeremiah Helps class. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.

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