Providence summer employment program places 650 youth in jobs

MAYOR ANGEL TAVERAS on Thursday lauded the city's summer jobs program, which has employed 650 youth in 2014 at organizations such as AS220, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Providence, and the city's Department of Parks and Recreation.. / PBN FILE PHTO/FRANK MULLIN
MAYOR ANGEL TAVERAS on Thursday lauded the city's summer jobs program, which has employed 650 youth in 2014 at organizations such as AS220, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Providence, and the city's Department of Parks and Recreation.. / PBN FILE PHTO/FRANK MULLIN

PROVIDENCE – Providence’s summer jobs program has helped 650 city youth find employment this summer, Mayor Angel Taveras announced Thursday.

Administered by Workforce Solutions of Providence/Cranston and the Providence Department of Parks and Recreation, the program this year included training in job safety and workers’ rights and a pilot program with the U.S. Consumer Finance Protection Bureau aimed at teaching youth financial literacy.

“The summer jobs program helps teenagers and young adults develop jobs skills and stay engaged in the community all summer long,” said Taveras in a statement. “Summer jobs give young people valuable work experience that will help them be more marketable to employers and stay on a path to success.”

More than 200 young people from Providence and Cranston are directly employed this summer as seasonal employees of the Department of Parks and Recreation, while others were placed in jobs at AS220, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Providence, Goodwill Industries of Rhode Island, the Institute for the Study & Practice of Non-Violence, Rhode Island Hospital/Lifespan, the Rhode Island Parent Information Network, Young Voices and Youth in Action.

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Ten youth also were assigned to the “Kids Bridge” program run by Inspiring Minds, a Providence nonprofit dedicated to helping students succeed in school. These youth will spend the summer assisting certified teachers in pre-kindergarten classrooms.

“Youth involved in the summer jobs program gain valuable work experience and are making a real impact in their neighborhoods at the same time,” said Terri Adelman, executive director of Inspiring Minds. “Inspiring Minds’ Kids Bridge program leverages public workforce development funds to provide training and a positive work experience for teenagers, while helping Providence children make a smooth transition to kindergarten.”

The Providence summer jobs program is funded by the city of Providence, the Governor’s Workforce Board Job Development Fund and the R.I. Department of Human Services. Workforce Solutions of Providence/Cranston is one of two local investment boards, along with the Workforce Partnership of Greater Rhode Island, overseeing $2.1 million in youth summer employment funding.

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