Program to be Coordinated by United Way of Long Island, Suffolk County Youth Bureau and Nassau County Office of Youth Services
Deer Park, NY, June 17th, 2013- The Long Island Summer Youth Employment Initiative, which targets 20 underserved youths (ages 15 - 21) during an 8-week period from June – August, will continue in 2013 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 including Freeport, Long Beach, Valley Stream, Rockville Centre, Babylon, Central Islip, Hempstead, Huntington Station, and North Amityville.
Sites include:
Family Life Center, Inc., Wyandanch
United North Amityville Youth Organization
Tri Community CYA, Huntington Station
South Shore Community Organization, Sayville
Circulo de la Hispanidad, Inc.,Long Beach
Long Beach Reach
Five Towns Community Center, Valley Stream
Hispanic Brotherhood of Rockville Centre
Freeport Pride, Inc.
Hempstead Hispanic Civic Association
“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 to 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 4 youths will be placed at each neighborhood agency host site for a 25 hour work week, for an eight week period to implement projects that benefit the community.
In addition, youths will be asked to consider volunteering at least 10 hours in community service during the performance period. 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 eight week period, 2-3 events will take place in collaboration with Bank of America volunteers and other current community partners to educate young people about financial literacy, career opportunities and leadership.
“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.”
Youths will also participate in an Island-wide event with a larger group of students from Nassau and Suffolk.
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