The City of Buffalo is offering incentives such as tax credits to businesses that hire youth’s through the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment program.
The program targets youth’s between ages 14 and 21 who will have a chance to gain invaluable work experience in a variety of fields. The City of Buffalo’s Division for Youth will provide youth counselors who will monitor and provide support for participants.
“We employ kids in urban agriculture,” said Diane Picard, executive director for the Massachusetts Avenue Project. “They work 20 hours per week doing various projects at our farm.”
MAP provides a unique and rare opportunity for urban youth to learn how to grow sustainable foods and how to use them. For not-for-profit and community-based organizations, such as MAP, the City of Buffalo subsidizes the wages of the employed youth through sponsorships and donations.
Applications for the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment program can be found at http://www.city-buffalo.com/Home/Leadership/Mayor/MayorsSummerYouthInternship2012 and must be completed by May 25.
By Edward Mazzu and Jacob Becker
