A job for the summer, skills for life. Youth line up for Escambia work program
While some students may complain about working over the summer, others are signing up for the opportunity to shake off the summertime blues with a good-paying job.
Escambia County’s annual summer youth employment program just kicked off with 150 young people, ages 16 – 24, punching the clock for a variety of jobs.
They’ve been placed with partner employers and mentors throughout the county. Some are working for government agencies like the animal shelter, others have found jobs with local businesses and leaders like politicians and judges. Each one is making $12 an hour.
In some cases, the money they earn helps support their families, but more importantly it’s giving them hands-on experience in the professional workforce.
Time on their hands can lead to trouble and Escambia Commissioner Lumon May initiated the program six years ago to give young people better opportunities.
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“The summer youth employment program gives them something productive to do,” said Clara Long, with Escambia Neighborhood and Human Services, who helps oversee the program. “We can mentor them, give them on-the-job training and instilling positive influence, this is a stepping-stone for skills. It’s also giving them a little money to put in their pocket. Some of them are struggling, this will help them with school supplies and take a little burden off the family. We just see there’s a need and it helps.”
The program has steadily grown since it started. There were so many applicants this year, Escambia County partnered with CareerSource EscaRosa to help place them all. The county spends about $2,500 per person to fund their employment for almost two months.
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In some cases, the paid interns come back year after year and even land permanent jobs.
“We’ve had some youth in the program since its inception, some have aged out,” said Long. “When we start seeing them coming back, we steer them to a career. We look at what jobs the county has open right now and encourage them to apply and/or get a degree. Some have taken on full time jobs with the county. We also have a tuition reimbursement to help offset college education costs.”
The summer employment program is one of many youth outreach programs Escambia County supports. The Keeping it Calm Mentoring Program teaches conflict resolution skills to children ages 5–13 who spend summers and after-school programs at Brownsville and Ebonwood community centers, neighborhoods where life at home can come with challenges related to poverty.
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It’s a crime prevention program, partially funded by a $15,000 state grant, that partners with local law enforcement to help children better understand police, as well as learn to problem solve when faced with important decisions.
“They talk to kids about saying ‘No,’ to drugs and to let them know some do's and don'ts of what they've learned and giving the kids a better understanding that they're not bad guys,” said Long. “They're good people and they want to see children make better decisions in life.”
The county incorporates the curriculum into existing programs at the community centers and it provides more character-building tools for children who need help confronting and overcoming violence they face in their own lives, including thoughts or acts of suicide.
“These are preventative tools,” said Long. “Just giving them some basic skills of not allowing those confrontations to linger, and how to handle life because you're going to run into barriers, you're going to run into some obstacles and it’s how you handle those things. A lot of these children are youth raised by youth. A lot of them don’t have an old-school auntie. Rather than have an auntie or an older person to advise, that person isn’t there.”
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This is the Keeping it Calm Mentoring Program’s third year and Long says they are seeing a difference.
“The first year it came out, a couple of girls shared that they had suicidal thoughts, but what they learned helped them to see that their lives are important,” said Long. “You never know who you’re reaching and hopefully it will prevent suicides.”
Some of the young people who take part in the summer youth employment program come from similar backgrounds and the chance to learn professional job skills is life changing.
“Since it started six years ago, 23 to 25 students have gotten full-time jobs either with the county or another agency,” said Long. “It works, but it’s a lot. The kids when they come here, they still have to struggle with what’s going on at home. To me, the investment into those youth is worth it.”
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia County youth employment program gives kids good-paying jobs
