Mayor Rybak Thanks Working Youth During Heat Wave

 

"StreetWerks" Youth Working to Keep North Minneapolis Streets Clean and Beautiful

 

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak today delivered his thanks, and cool water, to Minneapolis youth working to help clean up north Minneapolis through the newly created "Streetwerks" initiative, one of several summer youth employment programs operated by the City of Minneapolis.

 

Earlier this year, the city of Minneapolis received $1.9 million in state workforce development dollars to expand the reach of serving youth in need of summer employment. "StreetWerks" is one of the programs created with these dollars and employs over 50 Minneapolis youth who receive $6.15 an hour to participate in city beautification projects. The program runs for six weeks and the participants work 30 hours per week. Some of the areas beautified by this project include neighborhoods along West Broadway, Plymouth, and Lowry Avenues.

 

"This is a big win-win for the City," May Rybak said.  "Our kids receive a paycheck while having a safe and productive summer plus learn new skills and City residents see their neighborhoods looking cleaner and more livable."

 

Excerpted from the City of Minneapolis

Mayor's Office News Center

 
 
 

StreetWerks Brochure
 

EMERGE Ventures®™

Develops and implements social enterprises as a method for creating jobs, while sustaining the enterprise through earned income.
 
EMERGE Ventures consists of two social enterprises - EMERGE Staffing and StreetWerks - that offer quality services to businesses and government agencies throughout the Twin Cities while providing paths out of poverty for thousands of men, women, and young people each year.
 

StreetWerks Enterprise

EMERGE StreetWerks was developed as a pilot project in 2006 to provide summer employment to at-risk youth in North Minneapolis performing street maintenance and cleaning services.

 

Today, there are two distinct initiatives of this venture: 1) Year-Round Adult Transitional Jobs Enterprise; and 2) Summer Youth Employment Project.

 

In 2006, StreetWerks partnered with the City of Minneapolis to provide employment to 64 at-risk North Minneapolis youth. In 2007, the summer youth employment initiative employed over 150 teens.

 

2007 marked the launching of the StreetWerks Year-Round Adult Transitional Jobs initiative. Working with ex-offenders, StreetWerks secured 2 bids for service through the City of Minneapolis Regulatory Services. Ex-offenders were hired to work on crews to perform various landscaping, lawn care and rubbish removal.

 

 

EMERGE Staffing

Created in 1995, EMERGE Staffing is a nationally known tempt-to-permanent staffing agency that employs 60+ hard-to-employ adults on a daily basis at a growing number of local companies. The program makes special efforts to reach ex-offenders, new Americans, and adults living in supportive housing.

 

EMERGE'S transportation services bring the majority of employees to and from work every day.
 
 
"By measuring the successes and articulating the nuances of the alternative staffing model, we're also raising its visibility among practitioners, advocates, policymakers, and funders. That collective momentum will help grow the strategy over the years to come."

~ Michael Wynne, Executive Director, EMERGE

Please contact us to learn more.
 
 

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