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AT&T Teams With Boys & Girls Clubs of America to Create Successful Career Path for Youth

Posted on: Monday, 16 June 2008, 09:00 CDT

ATLANTA, June 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Underscoring the company's commitment to youth, AT&T today announced the national sponsorship of Boys & Girls Clubs of America's (BCGA) Junior Staff program, to foster career and leadership skills and provide professional experience for teens. AT&T will underwrite and help implement the Junior Staff program at Boys & Girls Clubs around the country, while several AT&T retail locations welcome select Club members as summer "apprentices."

"AT&T has a longstanding commitment to foster youth development," said Steve Sitton, president, Southeast Region for AT&T's wireless unit and a BGCA National Trustee. "With approximately 3,000 Clubs throughout the country serving teens, BGCA offers us a unique opportunity to reach millions of young people. Through the Junior Staff program, AT&T can help teens build a solid foundation for success, be that in their education endeavors or in their future careers."

Promising teens will be identified from local Boys & Girls Clubs across the country to participate in Junior Staff, a small-group program that assists Club teens in exploring a career in youth development and other human services. Eleven teens will be selected to participate in a first-ever, six- week apprenticeship at their local AT&T store where they will gain experience in many facets of the company's retail operations.

In addition to practical work experience as apprentices at AT&T stores this summer and as "Junior Staffers" at Boys & Girls Clubs, teens will explore their individual strengths, weaknesses and interests through team building exercises and community service projects. The Junior Staff program will also teach teens how to build a resume and conduct a job interview.

In conjunction with the Junior Staff program and apprenticeship, AT&T will support local Boys & Girls Clubs through continued wireless education and other events. The company will also encourage its employees to work with local Clubs in a variety of ways.

"Building the career skills of Boys & Girls Clubs members is essential to their future success," said Judith J. Pickens, senior vice president of program & youth development services for BGCA. "We're extremely grateful AT&T has joined us to support the development of these skills in our members. Through the Junior Staff program, we hope our young people will be encouraged to pursue careers in youth services, sparking the next generation of Boys & Girls Club leaders."

For more information on BGCA's Junior Staff program, or to find a Club near you, visit http://www.bgca.org/.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services and the nation's leading wireless, high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. In 2008, AT&T again ranked No. 1 on Fortune magazine's World's Most Admired Telecommunications Company list and No. 1 on America's Most Admired Telecommunications Company list. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com/.

(C) 2008 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.

Note: This AT&T news release and other announcements are available as part of an RSS feed at http://www.att.com/rss. For more information, please review this announcement in the AT&T newsroom at http://www.att.com/newsroom.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America

For more than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (http://www.bgca.org/) has been changing and saving young lives, providing hope and opportunity for kids who need them most. Today, some 4,300 Clubs serve some 4.8 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Known as The Positive Place for Kids, Boys & Girls Clubs can be found all across the country and on U.S. military bases throughout the world. Clubs provide young people 6-18 years old with guidance-oriented character development programs conducted by trained, professional staff. In communities large and small, Clubs positively impact lives and help young people reach their full potential as productive, caring citizens. Key Boys & Girls Club programs emphasize leadership development; education and career exploration; community service; financial literacy; health and life skills; the arts; sports, fitness and recreation; and family outreach. In a recent Harris Survey of Club alumni, 57 percent said the Club saved their life. National headquarters is located in Atlanta.

AT&T Inc.

CONTACT: Kelleigh Beal of AT&T Inc., +1-404-236-6322, ks1601@att.com; orBrian E. Hill of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, +1-404-487-5978,bhill@bgca.org

Web site: http://www.att.com/http://www.bgca.org/

Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall

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