The Knowledge Empowers Youth (KEY) Summer Leadership Program (SLP) aims to develop student leaders who engage in restorative justice practices to deepen their understanding, knowledge, and mindfulness of social [in]justice issues and trauma-informed practices. KEY SLP is centered around the planning and implementation of a community impact project. Students develop leadership and professional skills, engage with their neighbors in a new way, and understand their role in building a stronger, more resilient, and more connected community.

The Summer Leadership Program culminates with the implementation of the cohort’s Community Impact Project. Students came to a consensus that they wanted to address the disproportionate challenges that Black teens experience getting jobs and how this connects to current mischaracterizations of teens and limited professional resources as well as to future financial independence. After healthy discussions, feedback cycles, and critical discourse, the cohort arrived at a consensus to develop an event to help teens access professional skill-building and resources.

The Summer Leadership Program culminates with the implementation of the cohort’s Community Impact Project. Students came to a consensus that they wanted to address the disproportionate challenges that Black teens experience getting jobs and how this connects to current mischaracterizations of teens and limited professional resources as well as to future financial independence. After healthy discussions, feedback cycles, and critical discourse, the cohort arrived at a consensus to develop an event to help teens access professional skill-building and resources.

To achieve their goal, they planned a Teen Career Bash at a local park that gathered over 40 (mostly teen) participants to engage in activities to develop connections, confidence, and practical skills for professional applications and interviews. The event began with networking bingo created to help people build connections and confidence, followed by conversation circles for story-sharing about job search experiences (ex: “Have you ever felt nervous or unprepared for a particular job you applied for? Can you share about that experience?”), facilitated by SLP circle-keepers. An hour of resumé workshopping and practice interviews followed, facilitated by volunteers recruited for their expertise with hiring practices and by SLP members who prepared and trained to provide feedback. Each facilitator worked with 2 teens at a time, and all teens engaged in both sessions.

Participants received a pamphlet of interview and resumé tips and local employment resources prepared by the SLP cohort, as well as journals and pens to use both when giving and receiving resumé and interview feedback at the event and also to bring to interviews in the future. Three teen networking bingo raffle winners received gift cards for transportation and clothing resources for future interviews, as the cohort wanted to make sure that teens were receiving both informational and tangible resources to support their job searches.

The SLP cohort surveyed participants to assess their goals and the impact of the event:

• 100% of respondents enjoyed their experience and said they would attend a similar event in the future, with one teen sharing, “I really liked the opportunity to have my resume looked over and that mock interview with Ms. Maria helped me a lot with her pointers and such.”
• Respondents shared that they felt they grew in interview skills (eye contact and facial expressions), resumé building, and their comfort talking with other people.
• 75% of respondents reported that they made new connections.