Did you know that our Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) had placed over 600 youths to more than 120 worksites all over the city this year? Today is the last day for most of the SYEP participants (for participants who started working on July 15th will have their last day on August 23rd) and they are heading back to school. We’ve been proud and thrilled to see youths explore their interests and career pathways, develop workplace skills, and simultaneously make their own money during the summer!
Earlier this month, on August 1st, our volunteer photography team visited one of our SYEP worksites, Governor’s Island, and had a great opportunity to observe and see what the summer job was offering to the participants.
Photo credits to CMP Volunteer Photography Team: Ethan Lee, Flora Moy and Kylie Moy
“ From my own experience, I had always perceived internships/summer jobs to be a mundane albeit important time to learn and get a grasp for what the workplace is like. Filling in tables, taking notes, doing menial tasks, etc. It had never occurred to me that an internship could be as dynamic as the one offered by the Friends of Governor’s Island. Even though we had only stayed for a brief period, my photography team and I could immediately tell that these interns loved their job. It wasn’t a monotonous task they were performing behind the scenes — they were front and center, helping out visitors by giving detailed directions, maps and other resources to ensure the tourists’ experience was an enjoyable one”.
- - - Ethan Lee, Volunteer Photographer