Innovation
Green Jobs for Baltimore Youth
Green jobs are the future, and 350 Baltimore youth will get a head start on the green future this summer. Through a $1.1 M federal earmark for summer youth employment (thanks to Senators Mikulski and Cardin, and Congressmen Sarbanes and Cummings), Mayor Sheila Dixon’s Green Jobs Youth Corps will put young people to work on the Mayor’s priority of creating a cleaner, greener Baltimore.
The Mayor’s Green Jobs Youth Corps offers young people six weeks of paid summer work experience, while exposing them to basic workplace skills, an educational program focused on awareness of and preparation for green jobs opportunities, and awareness of why everyone should reduce, reuse, and recycle in their personal lives.
The goal is to introduce young people to green jobs and the career opportunities that this emerging industry will offer. Most Green Jobs Youth Corps members will work in the urban parks system. In partnership with the City’s Department of Parks, youth will focus on horticulture, wildlife management, urban forestry, historic preservation, and invasive plant assessment and remediation. In addition to a general introduction to the world of work, basic workplace skills, etc, youth will also broaden their awareness of new green careers related to environmental stewardship and sustainability.
“We’re hiring youth who want to be outdoors, who want to learn about green jobs,” explained Karen Sitnick, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development. “Although some of the Green Corps members may not have expressed particular interest in this area, part of the career exploration process is learning about what you may not have thought of, or learning what you may not want.”
In addition to hands-on work experience, the young people will also attend classroom lessons on sustainable energy and environment-driven services. The Department of Parks has developed a special curriculum, and experts will come talk to them on a regular basis. Topics will range from urban agriculture and what happens to garbage, to botany, green buildings, and reducing their carbon footprint.
“We’re very excited to have one of the largest summer youth employment programs we’ve had in many years – thanks to funding from Baltimore City, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, philanthropic donors, and our wonderful federal earmark,” Sitnick said.
The Green Jobs Youth Corps will employ a mix of in-school and out-of-school young people, with another 350 employed in the summer of 2010. Those who really love it in the first year can volunteer to come back the following summer.
“ARRA allows us to extend the age of eligible youth up to 24, so we’ve chosen to hire an additional 30 team leaders through ARRA funds who are 22-24, and assign them to assist in the green jobs project,” Sitnick added. “They too will be exposed to the overall greening of Baltimore, and those older youth will be part of our transition efforts after the summer; we’ll help them find employment or training.”
“We’re becoming more aware of green jobs opportunities in our city,” Sitnick concluded. We want to introduce young people as early as we can to our green future.”
In addition to the 350 members of the Mayor’s Green Jobs Youth Corps, Baltimore will put 7000 youth to work this summer.
Contact:
Karen Sitnick
Director, Mayor’s Office of Employment Development
(410) 396-1910
ksitnick@oedworks.com
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