Instead of spending their time with the summertime blues, five teens at Casa de Paz Fillmore decided they wanted to have a productive summer. They asked the Resident Services Liaison, Sonia, if she could assist them in job searching. After finding out that a local teen job fair was closed due to too many applicants, Sonia came up with another plan. She took the teens to the mall to apply for jobs.
Teens from Casa de Paz Fillmore who went job-hunting this summer!
The teens were excited and very confident once the mall opened. They were on a mission to find summer work. They went into the stores and asked for applications and filled them out as a group. They asked questions if they didn’t understand what the application was asking, but most of the youth knew what to write because they has prepared with Sonia earlier in the week.
The applications were all turned in and three of the teens received on the spot interviews! The manager asked why they wanted to work at that store, and the best response was “because I want to save for college and this looks like a company I can see myself working.”
This was a great way to take the teens at Fillmore out of their surrounding environment and empower them to make positive changes in their own lives. Although it was their first time exploring the possibilities of a job, the teens were able to put their new skills to the test and are better prepared for future opportunities.
UPDATE: Just today we learned that one of the teens has been offered a job and accepted! She will start this week.
To learn more about the services offered at UMOM’s Next Step Housing communities please click here!
About the Author
Kristina Oniszko, Resident Services Manager koniszko@umom.org Kristina Oniszko is the Resident Services Manager for UMOM New Day Centers Next Step Housing Program. Kristina oversees all Program Services offered at the five UMOM permanent housing communities and contracted tenant based services at three additional sites. She graduated with a Bachelor in Nonprofit and Public Administration in 2009 and will complete her Masters in Higher and Postsecondary Education in the spring of 2012. Kristina has worked with low-income and at-risk families for five years.