Having offered youth employment opportunities in Washtenaw County since 2017,
Michigan Works! Southeast's (MWSE)
SummerWorks program expanded into Hillsdale and Lenawee counties this year. The program aims to strengthen communities and nurture local talent by providing mentorship and career opportunities to young adults over the summer.
"One girl told me that it's been the best experience of her life," says MWSE Hillsdale Service Center Manager Sandy Vallance. "It's brought tears to my eyes to know that we've made a difference. That's what we're all about. We want to change people's lives for the better."
Vallance shares that SummerWorks paired 10 Hillsdale County teenagers with paid jobs at local employers, based on their personal interests and career goals. The group also participated in monthly meet-ups for job and career prep workshops emphasizing financial literacy and mental health education, among other topics.
Vallance says three of the teens were interested in IT careers, so they were placed in a nearby school that recently replaced all of its old computers. Participants successfully set up the school's new computers for the incoming classes. Another youth, she says, is looking forward to an art career and is exploring that in a creative way.
"We knew that an art placement might be a bit tricky, so we got thinking and got her working in a bakery," Vallance explains. "There she gets to explore and develop her artistic abilities through decorating, so it's been a win."
She adds that the teenager is excited to be showcasing her talent this Aug. 7. She'll be decorating a cake for a special celebration for SummerWorks graduates, their families, county commissioners, and key partners. The businesses that worked with the participants will also be given a certificate.
"It feels good to know that we've made a difference," Vallance says. "We're excited to tell the community what a great success this program has been all the way around."
Ashley Vandenbusche, MWSE's Service Center manager for Lenawee County, shares similar sentiments and impact.
"Part of our mission is to prepare people to be good members of our community, and we do that by training and preparing our young talent for success," she says. "I really saw some wheels turning, and that's what these programs are about."
Vandenbusche designed and hosted an innovative career day camp in June, where youth participated in fun activity stations. At one point youth found themselves navigating an "escape room" called The Job Jungle. The jungle-themed room was filled with a series of puzzles and problems that participants had to solve in order to "escape," or get to the end.
"They had to navigate through a number of things, like labor market information," Vandenbusche says. "It was a fun way to teach important things while keeping the learning fun."
At another learning station, youth were able to explore multiple career options using virtual reality headsets. One module allowed users to climb a communications tower to replace a blown transformer. Another was designed for users to help with knee surgery.
"Some of our youth really realized that maybe there were things about the job that weren't for them," Vandenbusche says. "Others had their eyes opened to a possible career path that they had never thought of before."
She adds that educating kids on available job opportunities can have a ripple effect. One way is if a young person goes back and shares what they learned with a parent. In cases where those parents might need career guidance, they could also get help from MWSE.
"Setting our youth up for success is setting our community up for success," Vandenbusche says.
Jaishree Drepaul is a writer and editor based in Ann Arbor. She can be reached at jaishreeedit@gmail.com.
Photo courtesy of Ashley Vandenbusche.
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