“Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.”
-Arnold H. Glasow

Youth employees become part of a well-planned series of internship experiences at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Many employees hired and still on the job began as summer workers.

Youth workers learn about themselves and the world as they work at the Bradley Home in Meriden. “When we started working, we had no idea there were so many rules; rules to keep yourself and others safe. But now we know exactly what we’re expected to do when we come in”, says one youth worker.  In addition to routine  chores, these youth are friendly to residents, while being responsible for cleaning the Bradley Home.

These Youth @ Work members have learned to function as a team to make Hamden’s Miller Memorial a better place. Though they are each responsible for their individual tasks; cleaning, preparing food for the residents, and general maintenance, they’ve learned to work cooperatively to be successful. Together, they’ve completed large maintenance and cleaning projects and still found the time to participate in individualized recreational activities with the elderly residents who dearly enjoyed their company.

Painting is a basic skill that lasts a lifetime. It also teaches patience, and with luck, accuracy.

Every year, Meriden’s Girls Inc. recruits strong, smart and bold youth as camp counselors for dozens of children.  Daily activities under their supervision include swimming, arts & crafts, gym, and team sports. The goal is to have all of the children develop better interpersonal skills and be respectful. The experience is so beneficial and meaningful to the kids that many aspire to become a counselor in future years so that they can give back what they’ve learned to a new generation of kids.

Youth @ Work leaders show new Youth Rights Media members the basics of how to advocate for their rights using video and other  media. They teach them innovative camera techniques and various other skills with the technologies. They also learn strategies that use story-telling to advocate for human and civil rights.

In the open air market in front of New Haven – City Hall, Youth @ Work members work alongside local volunteers and producers of local foods to provide community-grown fresh food to New Haven residents who otherwise might not be able to obtain it. This market promotes economic development, community development, and knowledge of the environmental good that comes from sustainable agriculture. It also teaches our summer youth how to work with customers, be courteous, handle retail sales, and in some cases, how to make lasting new friends.

Every year, a fortunate group of students from The Sound School are hired by Youth@Work  to work at the Pardee Greenhouse in New Haven, giving them the opportunity to put their newly acquired skills to practical purpose.  They get out of the classroom and apply their knowledge to produce things of value to the city, from the thousands of plants in roadside planters – to benches for city parks. It is amazing to see how well the students collaborate to devise a plan and execute it.  In the picture above, the youth are designing and constructing garden benches with treated wood and wood screws.