HOLLY, Michigan - In a collaborative effort with Holly police department, the Holly Area Youth Coallition will provide a much-needed summer job program for Holly area young people.  The effort will focus on teens in the Holly Area School district, providing youngsters with opportunities for growth and development. 

The program will consist of two parts -  an employment segment and an educational segment.  The employment segment will be enhanced with educational segments each week that target character development, decision-making, personal health, core family values, and citizenship grounded in the nationally recognized 40 developmental assets.  

The anchor of the program according to Chief of police Rollie Gackstetter,  will be the employment segment.  “We are actively recruiting businesses, church groups, and non-profits that could use some summer help to consider participation as an employer in this valuable new program," Gackstetter said. The employers would have the services of the teens in the program Monday through Thursday for six hours over five weeks this coming summer.  To be considered as an employer for the program, you only need to agree to supervise the youth at your place of business, and if selected, pay a one-time $100 participation fee.  All wages and transportation for the teen employees are covered under the grant.

The Holly Area Youth Coalition believes that a positive youth development idea is an approach that focuses on young people’s strengths rather than their weaknesses. Many adults in the Holly area tend to view youth as “problems to be solved," rather than as assets who can contribute much to their community. The term “youth development” often refers to a specific approach to working with young people in which youth are actively engaged in their own development and are positively involved in their communities. Collaborations and programs such as the Holly “STEP in the Right Direction” initiative use this approach to create environments in which young people thrive. 

Interested local businesses, churches or non-profits looking for summer help provided under this program can contact Gackstetter for more information at (248) 634-8221.