MESA, AZ — It is a program that is built to bust teen summer boredom while also providing job skills to add to their resume.
If you are the parent of a Mesa teenager who is an incoming junior or senior in high school, city officials hope you will think about allowing them to apply for the Mayor's TeenForce.
"They're not on their phones, they're not watching TV. They're just learning and growing and that's what we want them to do," explained Amy Trethaway with the city's Mesa Counts on College.
The four-week internship program pairs students who apply with roughly 50 local businesses who give them jobs beyond copying documents and getting coffee. Some of these businesses include healthcare, education, law, and even a local bakery.
Celine Atalig was in high school herself when she started at Nothing Bundt Cakes and when it comes to the recipe for being a good employee, Atalig said she learned all the basics in their East Valley store.
"Make the genuine connections, serve people - so, it does come naturally," Atalig explained. "Now, I don't even think about it. It's kind of just how I live my life!"
When she started, Atalig had nothing on her resume. But, now she has cooked up skills any employer would want to find for their own business.
"I think that just a short spurt of being with people who are passionate about what they do are really going to have an impact on these teenagers and on these workers," explained Nothing Bundt Cakes Franchise Owner Jan Newton.
If your teen gets an internship at the store, Atalig said she will teach that recipe for success with a smile.
"We're really just going to take you under our wing, help you out...we just want you to succeed," Atalig said.
The application is now open for the program and is available online via this link.
The application was due Friday, May 3rd. But, the city has extended the deadline to Friday, May 17th.
Orientation is May 29th and the program begins on June 3rd through June 26th.
The students will work four-hour days at their internships and have one day of service with the city of Mesa. They will work no more than 20 hours a week.
If you have questions, you can contact Amy Trethaway at 480-644-4866.
