Saying ‘yes’ to local teenage volunteers
The Youth Empowered to Serve Program is back for a second year with a significant overhaul in its programming methodology. Last year, teens volunteered their time to such projects as a car wash and litter removal with their efforts going toward installing the “Splash Pad” at Wetherby Park. This year, the focus on giving back to the community remains, but with a greater emphasis on job skills training. Fifty-four youths, aged 14-17 years old, volunteer for five hours each on Mondays and Wednesdays and receive a stipend of $25 for each successful day worked. With the stipend come higher expectations and greater responsibility for the teens involved, which therefore teaches the participants, many of whom have never had a job before, how to be successful future employees.
The program is 14-year-old Kiera Washpun’s first work experience, and she already learning new habits, saying, “Getting here on time: that’s a new learning experience.”
Along with learning about the importance of punctuality, personal responsibility, and respect for supervisors and coworkers, participants also get experience in child development, food service, and some skilled-labor projects. The volunteers assist in serving lunch to children and teens for the Summer Free Lunch program, which is facilitated by Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County.
After lunch is served and cleaned up, volunteers either serve as junior camp counselors in an neighborhood-center camp for kids who have completed kindergarten through fifth grade, or they travel to one of six work sites to assist in creek restoration and neighborhood beautification, help nonprofits such as the Crisis Center and Salvation Army, or work with a program for seniors.
For many participants, the program is about more than just earning $25 and an entry on a job application: it’s about giving back. Fourteen-year-old Gionni Hickman got involved because he wanted to help the environment, while both John Zamorra and Sergio Paz, also in their early teens, signed on because they want to help people in their community. Amy Correia, who along with others helped develop the program last year, echoes that sentiment: “The best thing about the program is that it creates a way for youth to give back to the community and show that they can do positive things.”
Research also shows that such programs do more than just provide job skills. A 2009 article in The Prevention Researcher states “development of a younger person’s sense of civic responsibility leads to increased engagement in school and improved attitudes toward others. Youth who have gained career skills have increased school attendance, reduced criminal behavior, and increased postsecondary participation” (Harris & Tsoi-A-Fatt, 2009). Thus, such programs are instrumental in developing the health of our community as a whole.
This program is made possible through funding provided by the Johnson County Board of Supervisors, with additional support from the following partner agencies: Johnson County Social Services, Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County, Community Corrections Improvement Association, Four Oaks, and United Action for Youth. Other organizations partner as work sites for the group. If you would like to get involved in the program by donating or volunteering, contact Bethany Bender at bethany.vistajc@gmail.com.
Bethany Bender
Johnson County Social Services, Iowa City
comments powered by Disqus
