The Urban League’s strategy for summer employment

After several years of stagnation, the Urban League of Columbus seems to be making progress.

The organization recently received its first United Way grant in seven years, and the money is helping to fund the Summer Youth Employment and Job Readiness Program.

The Urban League also is partnering with a couple of state programs, expanding youth employment opportunities in the community, according to Susan Cooper, the Urban League’s interim president.

Yet, the funding only covered a fraction of the students who applied for summer employment, and the Urban Leagues hopes to expand the program in 2017.

“These are youths who are interested in doing something positive, rather than doing nothing and getting into trouble during the summer months,” Cooper said. “We want to put a call out for more corporations to invest in our youth and for more funding from state and local governments.”

Here’s a closer look at the program:

Youths Employed

The Summer Youth Employment and Job Readiness Program serves high school students, ages 16 to 18, and college students, ages 18 to 24. This year, the Urban League received 150 applications. In all, the organization employed 40 youths, including about 10 STEM and health technology students.

Last week, the youths participated in workshops that covered topics such as customer service, dressing for success, answering telephones, resume building, interview skills, business etiquette, work ethics, conflict resolution, problem solving, budgeting and finances. They will spend three to four weeks working at local businesses, corporations and nonprofit organizations.

Work Sites

The students are employed at work sites throughout the city. The locations include the Columbus Municipal Court, Muscogee County Elections Office, Enrichment Services, Forrest Road Academy, Generational Kids Academy, Columbus Times, A.J. McClung YMCA; Girls Inc., Peaceful Rivers Residential Services, Urban League Office and Prosounds Production Studio.

United Way Funding

United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley allocated $10,000 to the Urban League as part of a small venture grant program that began a year ago. It’s the first time that the local Urban League has received United Way funding since 2009, when the organization was denied a request for $125,000 after being funded for many years.

State Partners

The Urban League received additional resources through the TAG Education Collaborative, a charitable organization established by the Technology Association of Georgia to prepare the next-generation workforce through STEM education initiatives and real-world work experiences. The Urban League also received funding through the Georgia Teen Work Program under the Department of Human Services and the Division of Family and Children Services, mainly for youths in foster care. The program pays the interns at a rate of $8 per hour for 25 to 40 hours weekly.

This story was originally published June 21, 2016 at 4:44 PM with the headline "The Urban League’s strategy for summer employment."