City of Atlanta hires 1,000 summer interns

The city of Atlanta has hired approximately 1,000 summer interns — some are at-rist youth recommended by APD and other city government agencies. CONTRIBUTED

The city of Atlanta has hired approximately 1,000 summer interns — some are at-rist youth recommended by APD and other city government agencies. CONTRIBUTED

The city of Atlanta has employed approximately 1,000 Atlanta youth and young adults in its summer internship program. This opportunity offers practical experience in all city departments and mentorship opportunities with city leaders. The internship participants are graduating high school seniors and college students.

As an extension of the internship program, the city of Atlanta launched its Youth Summer Engagement Pilot Program which will hire 45 potentially at-risk youth, ages 15-17, allowing them to learn the skills required to be competitive for a permanent position or similar job in the future. More than 90 percent of the participants were recommended by the Atlanta Police Department, Department of Parks and Recreation and members of the Atlanta City Council.

In early 2017, the City of Atlanta initiated a citywide youth engagement strategy which consisted of a comprehensive needs assessment. The purpose of the assessment was to create and implement new strategic intervention mechanisms for potentially at-risk teens. As an initial approach, Atlanta Police Department Chief Erika Shields worked with APD Zone Commanders to identify youth offenders. In addition, the Department of Parks and Recreation identified students with poor school performance or attendance and school suspensions. Once individuals were selected, city officials surveyed the group to asset their needs. One key consensus among the teens was the desire to have access to work opportunities and to earn income.

Internship program participants are working throughout city government.