Photo Caption: Mayor Eric Jackson at Kick Off Event
TRENTON, NJ (April 12, 2018) – Mayor Eric Jackson recently led the kick off for the 2018 Summer Youth Employment Program. The program is a partnership between the Trenton Mayor’s Office, Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce, MIDJersey Chamber of Commerce, Capital Region Minority Chamber of Commerce, Trenton Area Stakeholders and Millhill Child and Family Development. It is the first initiative developed out of Mayor Jackson’s Workforce Advisory Board chaired by Robert Prunetti.
The event at Trenton City Hall, hosted by the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the business community to celebrate the launch. Former youth participants spoke about the impact of the program. For many of the youths this is their first summer employment opportunity. Tabia Richardson spoke at the event about how she worked at an arts camp and it was a life changing experience for her learning how to navigate the workplace and gain experience and confidence working with children. “I felt I made a difference in the lives of young kids and developed and fine-tuned skills such as time management and organizational skills,” she explained. “I found I’m stronger than I thought.”
Youth will be placed in summer jobs in government, nonprofit, and private sector organizations. Trenton youth ages 16 – 21 will receive training at Rider University and begin employment for six weeks in July. After the job training, youth will be matched with opportunities to work in the arts, business, education, culinary, camp counseling, and trade fields for the summer.
“Millhill is proud to be the administrator of the Summer Youth Employment Program which provides meaningful jobs to Trenton youth who would not have had the opportunity otherwise, explains Cynthia Oberkofler, executive director. “We are excited to partner in offering this life changing program in Trenton.”
Mayor Jackson called upon private, public and nonprofit sectors to either sponsor or host a youth for the summer. He encouraged businesses to participate in the program by donating $2,000 to cover the cost of employing a youth for the summer.
Youth and employers can apply now at www.millhillcenter.org. Enrollment runs through April 23.
For more information contact Michelle Thompkins at 609-989-7333 x 131 or mthompkins@millhillcenter.org
Donations can be made to the Millhill Foundation, a 501(c) (3) located at 101 Oakland Street Trenton, NJ 08618 or at www.millhillcenter.org
Millhill Child & Family Development Corporation is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping families in Greater Trenton through educational, counseling and family support services spanning from an early age to adult. Founded in 1971, Millhill serves more than 5,000 individuals in the community with the help of dedicated staff, volunteers and financial contributors. We empower lives using an approach that is both individualized and collaborative taking into account the dynamics of the whole family. Services are offered at 101 Oakland Street and 802 Prospect Street in Trenton, NJ. For more information about our programs, please visit www.millhillcenter.org or call (609) 989-7333.
