HAMILTON COUNTY — The 513 Relief Bus is hosting a Youth Employment Day this weekend to connect teenagers and young adults with summer jobs.
The goal is to keep teenagers busy with well-paying jobs so they do not have idle time, which is part of a plan to reduce teen violence this summer.
The event will connect youth ages 14 to 21 with about 1,300 different jobs in the arts, trades and entrepreneurship programs.
It is also designed to connect young people with the items they need to apply for a job, including birth certificates, work permits, physicals and job training.
Watch to learn more about Saturday's event and how it can help:
Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Reece said these requirements are often barriers for young people, and she wants to eliminate them.
She said it is her life's goal to get kids on the right path before someone shows them the wrong one.
"We must get our youth program to the youth before the street program gets to them," Reece said. "Idle time is not a good idea for young people. They’ve got energy, they’ve got ideas, we’ve got to channel that into employment, workforce, entrepreneurial business creation."
Reece said one way they measure success is not only the number of youth who get jobs, but also the reaction from parents.
"I would hear from parents that said, hey, I just didn’t have extra to get the physical for my kid or I just didn’t have extra to go get the birth certificate or the time to go find the place to get the birth certificate," she said. "But we reduce those barriers so that the young person can get right to work."
The Youth Employment Day is happening Saturday, April 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Jerriel Missionary Baptist Church on 1018 Wesley Avenue in the West End.
The event has grown every year and is open to anyone across Hamilton County.
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