INDIANAPOLIS — As teenagers transition from school to the summer, many of them will be looking for a summer job, only to find out opportunities are more scarce this year.
“Kids are anxious to work, it’s just a case of do their parents feel like it’s safe enough for them to get out there. Also, there are less jobs out there right now. I would say the majority of them are scaling back and not hiring as many youths because of restrictions through the CDC,” said EmployIndy In-School Youth Initiatives Director Erika Seydel-Cheney.
The pandemic hasn’t stopped teens from applying.
Project Indy, which is overseen by EmployIndy, has more than 14,000 participants.
Nearly 500 new participants have been added since the start of the year.
Seydel-Cheney knows there are still some places like fast food restaurants and grocery stores hiring teenagers.
TeenWorks, which also specializes in employing teenagers for the summer, has come up with a plan to keep teens safe during the pandemic.
“We do so much work with the teens outside through beautification projects throughout the city of Indianapolis. We can produce some of our traditional summer programming in safe social distancing ways,” said TeenWorks President and CEO Nick Duvall.
Duvall said they’re making some of their meetings virtual to keep all their teens employed this summer.
For those still looking for work, there are other ways to make money this summer.
“There is still the ability to go out and mow grass and stuff. If you want to do something a little more that’s laid back but make additional dollars,” Seydel-Cheney explained.
TeenWorks’ summer program is already full this year, but there’s always next year. For more information, click here.
Project Indy’s website is still active, and they still encourage young people to sign up. For more information, click here.
