Young Black men between the ages of 16 and 24 participating in the SummerWorks jobs program are encouraged to join the 2017 BMA Summer Youth Experience (SYE). SYE supplements the SummerWorks experience by providing opportunities for:
- personal and professional development
- building long-term relationships with peers
- developing a youth-led community engagement project
The first SYE goal is to provide culturally-specific emotional and social intelligence curriculum to provide a supportive base for young Black men.
Secondly, the program sets out to support young Black men in the summer jobs program through professional mentoring, on-the-job problem-solving, access to BMA professional networks, strengths-based relationship building, supportive leadership opportunities, and more.
To participate in the BMA Summer Youth Experience, you must apply through the SummerWorks Program:
- visit http://www.summerworkspdx.org/
- Select "Community organization/Program staff or Case worker"
- Select "Community organizations/ Program"
- Select "Black Male Achievement" (By selecting, "Black Male Achievement" in the application process, you will be registered for the Summer Youth Experience.)
- Fill in your personal information and be sure to include all job interests, not just your preference for the summer program.
In 2016, BMA’s Summer Youth Experience served 20 young Black men by offering paid internships, education, and professional development opportunities. The youth completed the experience by presenting policy recommendations focused on Measure 11, for improving justice system outcomes for Black boys.
For more information, please contact CJ Robbins at 503.823.5143 or condry.robbins@portlandoregon.gov