Innovation
Montgomery Teens Enjoy Diverse Work Opportunities
Montgomery County offered youth a variety of summer youth employment opportunities in 2009. The best thing about the summer program, according to Cassandra Boyd, Youth Program Manager for Montgomery County Department of Economic Development, Workforce Services Division, was its scope. With $343,000 in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Montgomery County was able to expand the summer youth employment program well beyond what had been possible in recent years, providing 140 youth with six weeks of paid work experience combined with work-related education.
In addition to work experience, Montgomery County Workforce Investment Services organized a structured educational component for program participants. Every Friday, the youth focused on a different topic, including such things as personal finances, communication, leadership, and job etiquette. Space was donated by Montgomery College on its Takoma Park and Rockville campuses.
One work site, Community Support Services (CSS), a Gaithersburg nonprofit that provides community-based services to youth and adults with developmental disabilities, “was probably our most creative employer,” according to Boyd. CSS hired a staff person specifically to work with nine summer youth employees. “One thing that was unique,” Boyd said, “was that the youth rotated every day among the various departments in the organization – finance, communications, fleet management, the on-site school, and the summer camp.” CSS set up a blog on the company’s website where youth reflected on their summer experiences (http://cssyouthinterns.blogspot.com). Blog highlights included these comments:
- “I like being here because I learned many new things that I will never forget.”
- “Almost every day, I would learn something new about the clients, such as their unique habits. I came to the program thinking that office work would be something extremely boring but after working here I learned that it really isn't that bad after all.”
- “This summer I had a wonderful experience that help[ed] me mature and be more responsible. I've been waking up on my own every day for the last 6 wks.”
Another employer, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Silver Spring, was recognized for its entrepreneurial spirit. The young employees learned how to do market research and how to start their own businesses – using a hands-on activity in which they went out into the community to do market research, created their own line of t-shirts, sold them, and organized a fashion show.
Contact:
Cassandra Boyd
Youth Program Manager
Division of Workforce Investment Services
Montgomery County Department of Economic Development
240-777-2039
Cassandra.boyd@montgomerycountymd.gov
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