For high school students and recent graduates, obtaining summer employment can be nearly impossible among the ranks of college students looking to gain experience and make money to finance the upcoming school year. For Amelia Jones and Yaa Wiafe, two 2007 South Atlanta High School graduates, gaining summer employment was as easy as being in the right program at the right time.

Amelia Jones and Yaa Wiafe are participants in the Mayor’s Youth Program, an initiative created by Mayor Shirley Franklin in 2005 to assist Atlanta Public School seniors in preparing for success after high school.

On top of receiving mentoring and training services through the program, both Jones and Wiafe were placed in a paid summer employment opportunity with City of Atlanta Parks and Recreation that allows them to gain valuable leadership skills before going off to college in the fall.

Yaa Wiafe, accepted to Clayton College, is excited to begin preparing for a career as a registered nurse. "A lot of other kids my age can’t find full-time jobs this summer if they can find a job at all. The Mayor’s Youth Program has allowed me to work a full-time position while getting experience working with children that will benefit my career as a nurse," said Wiafe.

Amelia Jones is interested in attending Atlanta Technical College but is still deciding between the medical field and culinary arts. "I have friends who aren’t working this summer because they couldn’t find anyone who would hire a high school student. If I hadn’t signed up for the Mayor’s Youth Program it would have been hard for me to find a job too."

Mayor’s Youth Program participants Amelia Jones (left) and Yaa Wiafe (right) with staff member Angela Williams (center) at Perkerson Park.