Mayor Rawlings-Blake Launches YouthWorks 2011 Summer Jobs Campaign
Opportunity to win Ravens skybox tickets announced.
Today, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake officially launched Baltimore City’s YouthWorks summer jobs campaign. The Mayor encouraged residents and non-profit and business leaders to support the annual program, which connects city youth and young adults, ages 14-21, to six-week work opportunities.
“Providing work experiences to our younger citizens is an essential component of our long-term economic recovery,” said Mayor Rawlings-Blake. “We need to rally the community for support in order to place as many teens in summer jobs as possible.”
Promoting the YouthWorks 2011 theme, Everyone Wins with Summer Jobs, Mayor Rawlings-Blake noted that employers, communities, youth, and families all benefit from this program, which features targeted matching of jobs to older teens’ career interests and emphasizes financial literacy and workplace skills for all participants.
Mayor Rawlings-Blake also announced a new raffle to raise funds for YouthWorks. Participants have a chance to win 10 skybox tickets to the 2011 Baltimore Ravens game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. Called Payback’s a Gift, this promotion will allow donors to buy one raffle ticket for a $25 donation to YouthWorks, or six raffle tickets for a $100 donation.
Interested Maryland residents 18 years and older may participate in the raffle by visiting www.BaltimorePayback2011.com or calling 1-800-760-9008.
At the news conference, YouthWorks employers and participants spoke about the value of the summer jobs program and supported this year’s theme, Everyone Wins with Summer Jobs. Jeffrey Post, vice president of purchasing for Martin’s Caterers, spoke about its long-time partnership with YouthWorks. Martin’s provides jobs to 150 young workers each year.
“Mercy Medical Center’s relationship with YouthWorks has been mutually beneficial, and we are proud to be a sponsoring site for the program,” said Mark Bailey, Mercy Medical Center’s Director of Community Engagement and Volunteer Programs. “In the hospital, participants work alongside health care professionals and are assigned to a variety of hospital programs. They are encouraged, mentored, and supervised by employees looking to instill a passion for and a commitment to a particular type of work. The students have contributed significantly and in multiple ways to the care and service of our patients and their loved ones.”
Two YouthWorks participants shared stories about their experiences with YouthWorks. Tyrone Turner, a senior at Dunbar High School, worked at Sinai Hospital through last summer. Deonte Bailey, a senior at Mergenthaler Vocational Technical High School, worked at the National Aquarium last summer. Mr. Bailey was subsequently hired to work at the Aquarium throughout the year.
“YouthWorks made me a stronger person with better communication skills and more confidence,” said Mr. Bailey. “I was also able to pay for school uniforms, textbooks, and to save up for a car.”
The six-week, 25-hour per week YouthWorks summer jobs program is operated by the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development. It will begin on June 27, 2011 and end on August 5, 2011. Summer jobs registration runs through March 31, 2011. For more information, call (410)396-JOBS (5627) or visit www.oedworks.com.
Tax-deductible donations can be made to YouthWorks by making checks payable to:
Baltimore City Foundation/YouthWorks
c/o Mayor’s Office of Employment Development
101 West 24th Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
###
Visit our Website @ www.baltimorecity.gov