Congratulations to the youth and businesses who participated in this year's Summer Youth Employment (SYE) program. A special thank you to our business partners; without them, the program would not be possible. Here's to a job well done!

The SYE program is one of RDA's most effective social programs. Now in its 9th year, it provides local high school-age young people with an opportunity to work in a paid job for 6-8 weeks during the summer. The youth work at local businesses in a variety of fields, including: health care, banking, design and fabrication, custodial services, grocery and food service, and clothing retail.

The youth are required to attend a series of job skills training sessions at the beginning of the summer to prepare them for the workforce; for many of them, it is their first job. They are paid through a grant from the Board of Public Utilities (BPU). Thus, each business does not pay the youth assigned to them, but is simply responsible for supervising their tasks.

This summer, 14 youth were hired into the program; 11 of them completed their full term of employment. 55 youth inquired or applied to the program, a sign of its popularity and competitiveness. The youth worked approximately 2,000 cumulative hours during the summer.that's 2,000 hours of labor for businesses in the community!

The following is a list of this year's participating businesses:

KU Hospital

KU Medical Center

Rainbow Mennonite Freedom School

Rosedale Middle School

S.W. Blvd. Family Health Care

Vital Signs

Westwood Apple Market

Hair Fix