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When Yaelyn Chavez set out to find a summer job, the Roosevelt High School sophomore had a clear goal. She wanted to be the first one in her family to be able to afford to purchase a letter jacket. Little did she know, thanks to the Weld Works 4 Youth program, her first work experience would bring her so much more.
Offered through Employment Services of Weld County, Weld Works 4 Youth gives teenagers between the ages of 14 and 15 a chance to gain real-world work experience and confidence to set them up for future success.
"What drew me in at first to this program was that there were job opportunities all over,” Chavez said, explaining how the program was helpful in finding employment opportunities just minutes away from her house. "Both my parents work, so I don't have much to do over the summer but hang out at home and sleep or play video games. It's just such an amazing opportunity to go to work, make money and do something useful over the summer while gaining work experience."
Weld Works 4 Youth participants work 20 hours per week in June and July in various locations throughout Weld County, finishing in time to go back to school in the fall. Beyond learning customer service skills through their temporary jobs, participants are also taught valuable life skills through a series of eight workshops, such as the ins and outs of managing a debit card and creating a resume with their new work experience.
Chavez spent her first year working for a local coffee shop in Johnstown, where she learned a variety of different skills and developed relationships within her community. This summer, Chavez is eager to build her growing set of skills even further.
"I was able to learn how to work and interact with customers and develop customer service skills while also figuring out how to operate a cash register, keep the business clean and tidy, as well as the importance of good communication," she said.
Weld Works 4 Youth is unique to Weld County in that it's the only program in Colorado to offer paid work experience to those ages 14-15, whose families are receiving assistance from the Weld County Department of Human Services. Other workforce centers throughout the state offer similar opportunities, but typically for youth ages 16 and older.
"It's easy to talk any employer into the 16-17 age range because they are more times than not seen as an adult, but it's harder to find employers to take a chance on those 14-15," explained Leslie Galindo, Youth Programs Case Manager for Employment Services of Weld County. "This program streamlines this age group to employers that are willing to take a chance. More times than not, they are impressed and want that kid back as a 16-year-old and then get [them] added to the payroll."
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For Galindo, being able to purchase her high school yearbook was what motivated her to sign up for the Weld Works 4 Youth program when she was just 14 years old. The experience made such a lasting impression on her that she decided to lead the program. Her mission every year is to help Weld County’s young people enjoy the same experience she did, while assisting them to gain skills to persevere through challenging situations.
“To be in this program, you must be receiving some type of assistance already. Weld County is proud to be a 'work first' county and developed this two-generation strategy targeting the second generation in the household. This intentional approach allows youth to earn money and gain invaluable life skills while developing essential employment skills employers are desperately seeking,” she explained.
Galindo says her four siblings also went through the program when they were the appropriate age, and she has seen how it has helped them in their current workforce roles. That personal experience allows her to relate to participants uniquely.
"It's so nice to be able to turn around and look at these kids and tell them, ‘I know what you are going through, I have been there before too, and I made it through with all these new skills and so will they,’" Galindo said. "It's amazing to see the transformation between year one and two with these kids. When they come in the door for year one orientation, they can barely make eye contact with you. If they do, it's about two seconds and then they look right back down. As I sit here with Yaelyn as she enters year two, she is making eye contact, speaking directly and assertively and is full of confidence."
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Chavez aspires to become a gastroenterologist in the future with hopes to continue her education at Johns Hopkins University when she graduates from high school. She has saved most of the money she made the first year but recently made one big purchase.
"A few weeks ago, I was able to order and pay for my letterman jacket because of Weld Works 4 Youth. And I know it's just a letterman jacket, but I would not have been able to purchase it [without the program]. And being the first one in my family to have a letterman jacket is really cool to me,” Chavez said, the pride evident in her voice. “My siblings worked just as hard as I did but were never able to get one because if they did, that would mean my parents would have to pay for it, and they didn't have an opportunity to have the money."
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By Kristen Sigg, Weld County Communications Specialist
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