Atlanta Italian ice shop offers teenagers chance to learn how to lead and become men

From the outside of the small business on Slyvan Road, Glaciers Italian Ice may look like an ordinary shop for a sweet treat to satisfy a craving, but it is much more than that.  

This opportunity for local teenagers working behind the counter daily and serving Italian ice to people across Atlanta is life-changing.

The Noble Truth Project Youth Entrepreneurship program works with teenagers 14 to 19 and provides them with mentors, personal development skills, financial literacy tools, and educational enrichment opportunities. Leaders said the primary goal is to provide pathways to success for young people who might otherwise succumb to a detrimental cycle of involvement with the justice system.

Sixteen-year-old Treamone Ellison said the program changed the way he sees himself and his future.  

"I heard about this program from a friend of mine," Ellison said. "He told me it was an Italian ice job."

After a short while on the job, Ellison said he realized the opportunity was invaluable. The teenagers learn about money management, saving, business, and planning for their futures. The organization also plans events where they can interact one-on-one with mentors and business owners from the community.

"They actually teach us what it is like to be men," Ellison said.

Ellison, a student at KIPP Atlanta Collegiate, said he enjoys serving Italian ice to people in the community at Piedmont Park, Grant Park, and the Beltline.

Since joining the program, he said he's learned excellent customer service skills and how to maintain a work area. One of his biggest challenges was learning how to interact with people because it forced him out of his comfort zone.

"I was so nervous," he said, but added that he has a different perspective about people now. "I understand we should never judge anyone because we are all different."

Ellison said he's planning to attend culinary school after earning his high school diploma, and he'll be taking skills and life lessons obtained at Glaciers Italian Ice with him.

Jayden Horcon said his involvement in the entrepreneurship program is preparing him to own an apparel company someday. The most valuable skill he has learned is communication, he said.

"I've learned how to carry myself and how to talk to people," Horcon explained.

The family-like environment and sense of brotherhood is what keeps him connected and committed to the program in addition to his passion to become a business owner.

Both young men said the experience at Glaciers Italian Ice is helping them in ways they never imagined. Now, both have confidence that in due time, they'll develop into the men they want to become and learn how to build something of their own.