GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — What started during the pandemic as a way to give the youth in Grand Rapids something to do, has turned into a tool for those same people to enter the workforce and gain valuable life experience.
Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington helped create and introduce the GRow1000 program in 2020.
“We want to make sure that we are giving people who don't normally have an opportunity to get exposed to these kinds of workplace experiences and opportunities to develop," he explained.
Since its inception, this program has placed 800 teens and young adults between the ages of 15-24 into a variety of different jobs.
"They can learn about public service in government," Washington said. "We have kids that are having intern experience in banking, healthcare, technology — just about every industry in our community.”
The goal is to take that young, local talent and build a pipeline for the future — something Washington himself knows the importance of all too well.
"I'm a product of the intern experience myself," he said. "My first internship was in the public sector working in a public health department in the 10th grade. Little did I know, that experience would lead me down the road to becoming the city manager of the second largest city in Michigan.”
In order to qualify, you must be between 15-24 years old as of June 12, 2023. You must live in Grand Rapids and be eligible to work in the U.S.
The application window is open until April 28. You can submit using this link on the city's website.
Once you apply, and gain approval, you will be matched with an employer based on location, interest and skill level.
The employment period will be a six-week window over the summer, from June 12-July 21. Jobs typically pay between $13-$15 an hour.