This summer, 19 high school students participated in the first Statesboro Youth Connect program, learning about leadership, career opportunities and public service. The idea started with Mayor Jonathan M. McCollar and District 1 City Councilmember Phil Boyum, who sought mentorship opportunities for young students.
“They were really interested in the city initiating a program which would connect with students when they were in their middle to high school years and providing experiences that would help develop them as they make it through their high school career, workforce, military or secondary education, which would help them be successful,” said Human Resources Director Demetrius Bynes, who leads Statesboro Youth Connect.
City Manager Charles Penny likens the program to “friend raising” for local government.
“The hope is that we are going to reach some young people who never thought about careers in local government, and that might pique their interest in working for a city,” Penny said.
The students—who must be Statesboro residents in grades 9-12 or a city employee’s dependent—spend 12 hours a week with the human resources team. They learn about leadership, soft skills and other employability topics. After a morning training session, they walk to a work assignment within the city government or program partner Georgia State University.
The assignments range from filing, to assisting walk-in customers, to riding on calls with firefighters. Participation from city departments is critical to the success of any youth mentorship program, Bynes said.
“They need to have buy-in from city departments, because ultimately the departments are responsible for creating a meaningful work assignment for the student,” Bynes said.
City council investment is also critical, Penny said. The Statesboro City Council dedicated $25,000 to this year’s program, which funds stipends for the students. After receiving 70 applications for the pilot program and seeing the start of a successful summer session, the council earmarked $35,000 for next year. It’s money that will have a far-reaching impact, Penny said.
“This is an opportunity for local government to get some work from young folks, but more than that it’s a good way to keep kids off the street. They’re making money that they are spending in our community, and they’re gaining some important experience that will help them the rest of their lives,” Penny said.
“Hopefully, the relationships they have established during these five weeks will last a number of years, and they will be able to lean on supervisor and these individuals as they navigate high school, because those are challenging years,” Bynes said.
This article was originally featured in the July/August 2021 edition of Georgia’s Cities Magazine.