The city of Madison received a first place award Thursday for its recent efforts in youth employment, becoming one of three cities honored in the National Summer Youth Jobs Challenge, according to a press release.
The award honors Madison’s initiatives for youth employment and opportunities that were made possible mainly through the Wanda Fullmore Youth Employment Initiative launched by Mayor Paul Soglin in 2014.
The program’s purpose is to pair youth with city employees for eight weeks over the summer. City of Madison Youth Services Division Coordinator Mary O’Donnell said 21 high school juniors and seniors participated in the program in 2014 and worked in departments ranging from public libraries to the streets division.
One group of interns used the opportunity to create voter education materials about voter rights and processes for other youth while working in the clerk’s office, O’Donnell said.
Every city employee who mentored a youth over the summer plans to do so again, hoping to work with more interns next time, O’Donnell said. Many of the employees were very impressed, including Soglin.
“I am really pleased that both our partner agencies and city staff are working to mentor our youth and provide them with job training and skills,” Soglin said in the release.
As part of Madison’s Community Development Division, the city provides around $300,000 for youth employment opportunities, O’Donnell said. The funds go to six different agencies that plan to create employment opportunities for 520 teens in 2015, according to the release.
O’Donnell said she not only expects the Wanda Fullmore Youth Employment Initiative to continue to thrive, but hopes it becomes institutionalized and expands to partner with all city departments.
The teen employment rate in the U.S. has steadily declined since 2000, according to the release.The record-low rates within the past decade, coupled with local disparities and opportunity gaps within Madison’s racially-diverse environment, helped create the need for programs like the Wanda Fullmore Youth Employment Initiative.
“As we work to improve our neighborhoods and break the cycle of poverty, these programs are crucial,” Soglin said in the release.
