Students on the summer job hunt can learn about Youth Opportunities Unlimited today and Thursday in the upper cafeteria.
The meetings will be from 4-5:30 p.m. and will share information about YOU, a program that helps students in the Cuyahoga County area find jobs and internships during the summer.
The info session will promote opportunities through the Shaker Heights Youth Center, which is in partnership with YOU. To be eligible for YOU’s six-week work program, students must be in 9-12th grade, aged 14-18 or turning 14 by May 31. Applications for the Summer Youth Employment Program are open from Feb. 1 to May 1. Selected students will be notified by May 2.
George Voinovich, former Ohio governor and mayor of Cleveland in 1983, started YOU. He established the organization as a public-private partnership, partnering with local business leaders and the Cleveland Foundation to create summer jobs for youth.
According to YOU, approximately 35-42 percent of U.S. teenagers ages 16-19 are employed or looking for work during the summer months. During the school year, 22.5 percent of U.S. high school students are employed.
YOU work experiences typically start in mid-June, they pay $13.50 per hour, and students work 20-25 hours per week. Student applications can be found on the Youth Opportunities Unlimited website. The application contains questions about students’ preferred work categories and provides a list of 14 fields that YOU partners with, such as entrepreneurship, marketing, transportation or health care.
“My dad actually works for [YOU] and I’ve seen what it has done for people,” said senior Sarah Dillenbeck. “I think it’s a really good resource.”
Senior Luke Grube said the program holds promise. “I think it can help with a lot of things — responsibility, money. Especially in the summer,” he said.
To apply, students must provide their date of birth, their email address, home mailing address and phone number, as well as their guardian’s email and phone number. Students must live in Cuyahoga County. The program does not guarantee selection for everyone who applies.
According to the Ohio Department of Commerce, the biggest difference between working during the summer and during the academic year is the hour limit for teenagers. Teenagers 14-15 years old can work up to 18 hours a week until 7 p.m. during the school year. During the summer, they may work 40-hour weeks until 9 p.m. Students who are 16-17 can work 40-hour weeks year round, but their shifts must end by 11 p.m. during the school year.
Ohio law also requires that teens aged 14-17 must have a work permit year round, which the YOU program can help students obtain. If you are turning 16 by May 31 of the year you plan to work, you do not need a work permit to have a paying job in YOU.
“I feel like it’s a good program for kids that need an opportunity for jobs in the summer,” junior Arlie Chappell said.
Journalism II Reporters Dakota Bailey, Lela Cantrell, Arabella Kielbasa, Nora Perry, Celeste Prior, Leio Treier-Jackson and Jai’Da Whitlow reported and compiled this story.
