The idea for a partnership between the Lazydays Employee Foundation-sponsored Tampa Bay Youth Outreach and the USF Kosove Society occurred at a holiday dinner in December 2010 hosted by Angela Oehler, a Kosove alumna, and Harold Oehler, her husband. Harold, who serves as the Legal Counsel to the RV distributor Lazydays, described how his colleagues at Lazydays pooled their monies to create an employee foundation with the mission of helping disadvantaged youth and young adults throughout the Tampa Bay region. With the support of the Lazydays Employee Foundation, the Homeless Youth Initiative was begun. 

Homeless youth, ages 18 to 23, represent one of the most under-served populations in terms of publicly available services and support.  By age 18, unaccompanied youth have aged-out of the foster care system, but have high rates of unemployment and low rates of self-sufficiency.  Given that the Kosove Scholars are roughly the same age as the targeted homeless youth population, there is great benefit for both parties from programs that allow the students to learn from each other. In the Fall of 2011 the Kosove Society began its formal partnership with Lazydays in support of the Homeless Youth Initiative with a series of Life Skills workshops designed and offered by the Kosove Scholars.  

The Kosove Society’s contribution to the Tampa Bay Youth Outreach is two-fold. 

The Kosove Society hosts workshops twice a month which help the young adults learn critical life skills For example, scheduled workshops have addressed topics such as GED preparation, how to apply for scholarships for college, nutrition and basic cooking skills, professionalism including dressing for success, job interview skills, oral communication, and resume construction.  As part of their Honors College thesis research, two Kosove Scholars produced a comprehensive presentation on health care which covered important topics such as how to self-remedy in non-emergency situations, utilize preventative measures to ensure quality long term health, access health care and insurance benefits, and the use the health care system in general.

In addition to providing beneficial workshops designed to improve the self-sufficiency of the young adults, the Kosove Society scholars also act as role models and peer mentors. Over the course of the first series of workshops, the Kosove scholars and the young people in the Homeless Youth Program formed friendships based on respect and the understanding that each individual has unique talents and skills to offer society.  Kosove Scholars hope to empower their colleagues to pursue a path of education and general self-sufficiency. For many Kosove Scholars, the partnership with the Homeless Youth Initiative has been one of the most rewarding aspects to their Kosove experience.  There is a clear recognition that both the Scholars and the program youth have much to learn from each other. 

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