Portsmouth youth summer job program aims to reduce crime in the city
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Paying $15 an hour, the ‘Youth Seize the Summer Program‘ aims to reduce crime by giving older teens the opportunity to work throughout many city departments.
The program has more than 100 openings in places like the parks and recreation department, offices throughout city hall and even the commonwealth’s attorney. Most of the positions start in June.
The only major qualifications are the teens must be enrolled in Portsmouth Public Schools and be at least 16 years old.
Councilman De’Andre Barnes, one of the city leaders spearheading the program, hopes this keeps the city’s youth out of trouble, while giving them work experience paired with a real paycheck. By the end of the summer program, a teen who worked the full set of 29-hour weeks will earn a total of just over $3,000.
With about 130 openings, the whole program costs the city roughly $400,000. The program is meant to reduce crime, and Barnes believes this will be cheaper than housing a handful of teens in jail.
“As you can see in our city, we have a lot of issues with crime, and I think this is a way to help deal with that crime,” Barnes said. “You’re putting kids to work, give them something to do. You’re also helping families because poverty is one of the key things that contributes to crime.”
For more information and to sign up, click the link here.
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