2014 Summer Youth Employment Program to be Coordinated by United Way of Long Island, Suffolk County Youth Bureau and Nassau County Office of Youth Services
The Long Island Summer Youth Employment Initiative, which targets 30 under served youths (ages 15 - 21) during a six-week period from July – August, will continue in 2014 thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. The goal of the project is to place youths at local not-for-profit "agency host sites" that serve targeted communities in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
Sites include:
- Faith Baptist Summer Program (Coram)
- Family Community Life Center (Riverhead)
- Huntington Community Development Corp (Huntington)
- Police Athletic League (Central Islip)
- Suffolk County Youth Bureau (Hauppauge)
- United North Amityville Youth Organization (Amityville)
- Wyandanch Family Life Center (Wyandanch)
- Wyandanch Resource Center (WCRC)
- Freeport Pride (Freeport)
- Gateway Youth (Elmont)
- Roosevelt Community Revitalization Group (Roosevelt)
- Hispanic Counseling Center (Hempstead)
- Long Beach Reach (Long Beach)
- Yes Community Counseling Center (Massapequa)
“As part of our broader focus of connecting youths to meaningful work experiences, Bank of America and the United Way of Long Island are helping youth stay in school, graduate and connect to post-secondary education. This program is an on-ramp to connect young people with 21st century jobs and supports the next generation of young leaders whose vision will help shape our future,” said Theresa Regnante, President and CEO of United Way of Long Island, the employer of record and fiscal agent for the Summer Youth Employment Program. The program includes employment placement and supervision, where up to three students will be placed at each neighborhood agency host site for a 25 hour work week, for a six week period to implement projects that benefit the community.
The projects will be based on the perspectives of young people, the needs of the community and an understanding of available resources at the host agency. Each youth will have an agency liaison that will provide support, supervision and feedback as the projects are implemented. The program also includes educational exchange. Over the course of the six week period, several events will take place in collaboration with Bank of America volunteers and other current community partners, including a professional development day and a community service day, to educate young people about financial literacy, career opportunities, leadership, and service.
“The impact of this program model cannot be overstated,” said Bob Isaksen, Bank of America Long Island President. “It’s a win-win for everyone involved—participants gain valuable real-life work experience, while helping high-performing nonprofits serve communities across Long Island.”