Arkansas Dream Center offers first youth employment opportunity
Summer 2022 marked the first year of the Youth Employment program at the Arkansas Dream Center. Over the years, the Dream Center has seen just how important it is for teens to have their first job. To create this experience, the Dream Center offered youth an employment opportunity. As youth hires, teens played a vital role throughout summer programming. The hires got to help with daily operations at the Dream Center, mentor younger kids, serve meals and plan activities all in a safe and encouraging environment. For the youth, having their first job at the Dream Center allowed them to develop leadership skills, grow in discipling others and gain life experience that will go with them into adulthood.
For Josh, youth hire, employment at the Dream Center allowed him to have his first job.
“Working for the Dream Center was fun and a learning experience. It was my first job that I was on payroll and got to experience what the workforce is like,” Josh said.
With this experience, youth hires also learned communication and management skills. For Davari, youth hire, gaining these skills were valuable to him.
“I got to experience how to manage people, communicate clearly and treat others. I learned that when times are tough I can’t give up and need to keep trying,” Davari said.
In an article by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, youth in low-income households often face barriers in securing employment. The article says, “Early employment is one type of formative experience that can have significant benefits for youths’ trajectory into adulthood: In their first one or two jobs, youth can start to develop connections to employers, a work history and soft skills that can be used in multiple areas of their lives. Unfortunately, employment data has shown that the likelihood of youth and young-adult unemployment typically increases as household income decreases.”
When youth from low-income households have the chance to be employed, this opens the opportunity for them to step out of a life of generational poverty. It shows youth that they are capable and have God-given gifts that are to be used to serve and love others.
Not only was this experience life-giving for youth, but also staff as they watched their once little kids turn into mature and responsible leaders. They got to witness kids that they mentored in turn mentor others. Kindalh Hoover, director of the Little Rock Dream Center, said it was both rewarding and humbling to see the teens lead.
“It was important to hire our youth because once teens reach high school, we don’t have a program opportunity for them. Our youth employment program was a new way for the Dream Center to get to pour into teens and give them life experiences and opportunities to lead,” Hoover reflected. “We got to see seeds that were planted so long ago start to grow and develop.”
For information about the Arkansas Dream Center and giving opportunities, visit everyarkansan.org/donate or follow us on Facebook and Instagram @everyarkansan.
“We got to see seeds that were planted so long ago start to grow and develop.”
Kindalh Hoover