Summer Youth Employment
FreshMinistries is once again able to bring its Summer Youth Employment program to East Jacksonville in 2010.
Thanks in part to generous grants from the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation and the Scheidel Foundation, 40 youth from Jacksonville’s Eastside are able to get paying jobs for the summer.
The youth, ranging in age from 14 to 18 will be working at local businesses in Jacksonville's urban core.
In addition to the jobs, the participants are meeting at FreshMinistries' East Jacksonville Neighborhood Resource Center once a week for further enrichment. This includes workshops on managing money and opening bank accounts, tips for successful family interactions, community service and preparation for the fall school semester.
Leading up to their employment, the youth will be meeting with Coach Nathaniel Washington for job preparedness workshops. Washington, 83, who works at the Resource Center, has long been firmly committed to the success and growth of East Jacksonville’s youth.
“You know I am your friend and I want you to succeed,” Washington said at an orientation for children employed through the program and their parents. “I don’t care what time of day or night it is; you call me if you have any problems or issues.”
The program’s participants will continue to receive mentoring from Washington and other FreshMinistries staff throughout their employment.
When the summer is over, the Jaguars Foundation has asked FreshMinistries to continue providing enrichment and mentoring, and to also add tutoring for Eastside students during the school year.
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