Youth At Work program

(WTNH) - Liberty Bank Foundation encourages Youth at Work programs.

Liberty Bank Foundation and their partners collaboration to put together funding to enable more low-income young people to participate in the Middlesex Chamber's Youth At Work program, which provides subsidized summer employment.

Unemployment among youth is currently about double the general unemployment rate.

Upon hearing that the Chamber's Youth At Work program would only be able to employ about half as many youth this year due to lack of funding, Liberty Bank Foundation set out to change that.

Liberty convened representatives of local groups and went to Middletown Mayor Dan Drew to ask for the city's support, resulting in a $20,000 commitment from the Common Council.

Liberty then assisted the Chamber in contacting other local funders to match the city's donation. The result was an additional $25,000, including $5,000 from the Liberty Bank Foundation.

As a result, Youth At Work will employ about 68 youth this year, as opposed to the 30 it expected.

Students in Youth At Work learn valuable lessons about the working world. The program doesn't just put them to work; it prepares them with lessons on appearance, timeliness, etiquette, and other "soft skills" that will help them succeed in the workplace.

Students in the Youth At Work program work 20 hours a week for six weeks at local employers - businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies.

Liberty Bank Foundation thanks their partners who helped make the Youth at Work program available to more young people this year:

• Centerplan Companies
• City of Middletown
• Main Street Market
• Middle Oak
• Middlesex Coalition for Children
• Middlesex County Community Foundation
• Middlesex United Way
• Peach Pit Foundation
• Seasons Federal Credit Union

Click here to learn more.