Gainesville RYDC: Tie a Tie Training

Story support and photos by Gainesville RYDC Director Herman Oglesby, Jr.

Recently, the Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center (Gainesville RYDC) held a “Tie a Tie” training for its youth during the facility’s Winter Break.  Understanding the importance of teaching teens the workforce skills needed to make youth marketable to future employers, the Tie a Tie training stressed the need of acquiring professional wardrobe grooming in order to make a strong first impression during work interviews. 

While the Gainesville RYDC Tie a Tie training was not the first time that DJJ youth were given the chance to learn about business attire and professional grooming, an interesting twist to the training was added through the ability of the students to manipulate the ties and knots into festive creations. A standard Windsor knot gave way to such creations as the Café knot and the Trinity knot. While still acceptable in a business setting, training in learning to tie these trendy knot styles gave the youth a way to show their individual creativity and help others in the class who may have struggled to learn how to make the newest knots.

Youths participating in the Tie a Tie training were provided a how-to video which explained how to tie each necktie knot.  In addition, each student was instructed to remember each knot task in five minutes or less, adding to the excitement of learning and helping to make the lesson seem like second nature for the youth when dressing for themselves in the future.