GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The GRow1000 program, which began during the pandemic, is back and accepting applications for this year.The initiative aims to connect young people in Grand Rapids with job opportunities.
“It’s a program that started in 2020 to hire 1,000 people over one summer," Shannon Harris, executive director of Our Community’s Children, said.
“In totality we’ve employed 1,150 young people," Harris said.
The program targets youth ages 15 to 24, offering a six-week work opportunity that includes 20 hours a week and professional development days on Fridays.
“I first participated in GRow1000 in 2021, and that was through Spectrum Health that I was placed at. I next participated 2022 and I was at Priority Health in their medical care section, and I ended up my last time at Seyferth PR, just assisting throughout the office," GRow1000 participant Annyanis Mejia said.
Last summer, GRow1000 had 48 work sites and employed 162 young people.
“Most of them, this is their first job. So they’re learning about job skills. And they’re also learning about life skills," Harris said.
“It definitely helped me realize a little more what I want to do in life, where I want to go, what I want to end up in. It gave me guidance, connections I wouldn’t have otherwise made," Mejia said.
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