The application window opened Monday for the D.C. summer jobs program, known formally as the “Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program,” and residents between the ages of 14 and 24 were encouraged to apply online.
Every year through the program, thousands of young people are paired with hundreds of employers so they can receive training and guidance.
The idea is to help them develop positive work habits and skills they can use to secure future employment.
“It is a collection of great programs and employers who raise their hand and say, ‘I’m committed to having an enriching experience,'” said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
The deadline to apply for the program is Wednesday, March 6.
Those who participate will go through six weeks of summer work experience through subsidized placements in the private and public sectors.
Last year, about 14,000 young people took part in the program.
“In some cases, that exposure tells them exactly what they want to do when they grow up,” Bowser said. “Sometimes it shows them exactly what they don’t want to do when they grow up, and both are valuable experiences.”
One of the employers that partners with D.C. for the jobs program is the nonprofit Young Doctors Project, a mentoring and education organization for high school students that aims to be a pipeline to careers in the medical field.
Participants receive medical training and learn how to perform blood pressure screenings, BMI and obesity measurements, vision exams, mental status evaluations and other basic health screenings.
“We teach lifesaving skills that will not only be helpful in the medical field, but in our communities and our families,” said Mychael Brown, a high school senior who participates in the Young Doctors Project.
One of the skills Brown learned through the organization was CPR, which was something he had to utilize on Metro last year at the Foggy Bottom station.
Brown noticed that a man on his train was having a medical episode that quickly turned serious.
“I checked his pulse, and then I realized there was some real trouble because there wasn’t one,” Brown said. “I had to act fast because those seconds mattered.”
Brown performed CPR until medical professionals showed up several minutes later.
“Moments like these happen all the time, and sometimes, there isn’t someone there that knows what to do,” Brown said. “I’ll be forever grateful that I did know what to do at that time.”
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