Madison, WI – Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway announces $99,500 in contract expansions for funding youth employment to take place in fall 2020. Five community-based organizations that previously received funding for summer youth employment programming will receive additional funds through the Community Development Division. These contracts will support programs for youth ages 14 to 18 during out of school time through the end of 2020. A total of 75 to 85 youth will be served this fall by these organizations.

“Young people have had a hard time during the COVID-19 pandemic, with school being virtual and many sports and activities cancelled,” Mayor Rhodes Conway said. “I’m grateful to our five partner organizations that will provide positive activities for youth this fall, and benefit our community as a whole. I encourage our entire community to join the City in supporting opportunities for young people to be employed, gain experience, and give back to their community.”

“The Bayview Giving Garden and Community Arts Program did a stellar job engaging our youth this summer,” said Alder Tag Evers. “Providing positive experiences in this critical time can be life-changing and I’m very pleased we’re able to continue these programs into the fall.”

Alder Marsha Rummel said, “I’m really excited we can extend opportunities for youth to get culinary jobs, serve as mentors for younger students in classrooms, and participate in meaningful community work that will help young people develop skills and leadership experience.”

The five organizations include:
 Mellowhood Foundation: Mellowhood Foundation will operate a neighborhood based first-time work experience this fall. Youth will be employed for 4-6 hours a week during the fall months in supported work team programs. Participants will be supervised directly by Mellowhood Foundation staff and partners. Work experiences will be project-based and designed in collaboration with the neighborhood’s needs. Staff will provide follow-up support for youth participants. Some youth will have the opportunity to move to a leadership role within the Mellowhood Foundation organization. Eight to 10 youth will be served this fall.
 Bayview Giving Garden and Community Art Program: Bayview will extend and expand current summer employment programming to meet the needs of the teens based on their interests and schedules. The program will continue with the Giving Garden and Community Arts Crew programming. Programming will take place for up to 12 additional weeks, September – December 2020, with up to 10 hours/week of in-person and virtual employment available per teen. Fifteen ongoing, plus 8 to 10 new youth will be served this fall by Bayview programing.
 Common Wealth Development: Common Wealth Development will offer two teen employment programming initiatives for the fall:
1. Partners for Agricultural Training – PEAT Program will provide an opportunity for youth
to participate in extended PEAT programming throughout the fall to learn about
harvesting and marketing of produce grown on the PEAT farm. The PEAT program will
hire 10 youth to participate in the fall version of this program.
2. Wanda Fullmore Youth Internship Program (WFYIP) – The summer WFYIP youth
interns created a project around neighborhood beautification and community
engagement. This youth-run project focuses on creating community in neighborhoods
through beautification efforts, such as trash pickup, in community spaces such as parks
and sidewalks. Eight to 12 youth will be served this fall.

 Root to Rise: Root to Rise is a strengths-based program in which students of color are placed in their neighborhood elementary or middle schools, under the direct supervision of a classroom teacher to serve as academic tutors and behavioral mentors for younger students. This program will be able to assist younger students participating in virtual schooling this fall. The chosen high school students are those who are at risk of not graduating at the end of their senior year. This opportunity provides these students with a greater sense of power and accomplishment as we also assist them towards on-time graduation.
 Goodman Community Center: Goodman Center’s TEENworks will offer two teen employment programming initiatives for the fall supporting 15 ongoing and 15 new youth this fall:
1. Expansion of existing Preservation Community Supported Agriculture Team
proposed to help meet the increased demand for healthy, local food pantry items
from area low-income residents as a result of the pandemic. Youth will work
alongside trained culinary professionals in Goodman’s commercial kitchens to learn
culinary job skills.
2. Goodman is also proposing a significant increase in community meal production to meet the demand for healthy meals at MMSD public school sites during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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