Engaging our youth with summer jobs | Sampson Independent

With school about to end for the summer and seeing a need for engaging our young people with positive activities, I find myself wondering out loud whatever happened to the summer manpower jobs program. There is, indeed, a need, and maybe, it’s time to reinstate a government investment in summer jobs, providing an opportunity for early work exposure and a chance for young people to become acquainted with a range of career opportunities.

We can preach the value and relevance of education all day and then some, but if our young people are not given opportunities to work, earn and save money, it becomes nearly impossible for them to make constructive ends meet. And, too many, then are forced into making unsavory choices. As a community, we urge our parents and schools to encourage their sons and daughters to have big dreams, to aspire to pursue some post-secondary education, get a good job and make the most of their potential.

But as usual, the missing part of the puzzle remains the lack of job-training and employment opportunities in Sampson County. If we believe in fairness, we will be investing in our young people through the use of internships, job-training and other services to assist with employment. This will help to remove barriers to productive citizenship, while assisting them to better themselves through their own hard work. There is nothing more empowering than landing a job after high school or college which will help young people stay on the right path.

It is no exaggeration to say that finding that job after high school or college is a defining moment in the lives of young people, for many know the value of steady employment, which has been shown to be a chief factor in reducing crime in a community. If we are to continue becoming a more perfect place to live, we must believe and demonstrate that everyone deserves a fair chance, and we need to provide assistance for those who are actively seeking ways to improve their station in life.

What better way to empower our young people to make better choices than to allow them to become self-supporting citizens. As more young people become inspired to take ownership of their future, the whole society is much better off. After all, most people want the opportunity of being able to better themselves through their own hard work.

As a community, we must insist that our schools continue to find ways to engage all students well enough to prepare them for success after high school and for a lifetime of learning. To be sure, our young people of all stripes should not be allowed to become “disconnected youth” for that would be a devastating loss to each one personally and a severe loss to the community’s economic prosperity.

Helping our youth find summer employment will surely open more pathways to opportunity and will surely help more young people thrive and stay engaged.