Seated at a table with three friends, 14-year-old Camille Mayfield completed her first job application.
When she reached the final question, she read it aloud. “When will you be able to start work?” Mayfield raised her hand. “Can I put ‘ASAP’?”
Mayfield and about 400 other Evanston teen-agers participated in the fourth annual Summer Youth Employment Job Fair, held Saturday at the Evanston Civic Center.
The fair provides a forum for employers from the city and private businesses to meet and interview students between the ages of 14 and 18, according to Paula Haynes, executive director of the Human Relations Commission, which administers the program.
“The program was developed for high-risk kids referred to us by social service agencies and schools,” she said. “But we found that all kids are at risk because they need jobs, no matter what their socioeconomic background.”
Between 200 and 300 of the teenagers interviewed will be hired by the end of the month for full- and part-time positions for a nine-week period this summer, said Haynes.
“It’s what the real world is about when it comes to jobs,” she said. “It’s competition.”
After completing applications, the students looked through job descriptions in a binder divided into six areas, including technical, recreation and apprentice.
“I want to work cleaning up the alleys because it helps the community,” said Ieesha Bryant, 14. “It will help me be occupied for the summer and stay out of trouble. When the school year comes, I need money for clothes and supplies.”
Program coordinator Michael Redmond said the city’s alley maintenance program ranks among the most popular options because it hires 14-year-olds and other positions require older applicants. But even when students return for better jobs, the program boasts many repeat customers.
“Once we build that rapport at 14, we have them for the next four years,” Redmond said, pointing to a 17-year-old student returning for his fourth job fair. “If they complete the program, we invite them to come back next year.”
After searching for jobs, the students receive a crash course in interviewing skills before they meet the employers.
“I firmly feel that teenagers are excellent workers and all kids need to work,” said Evanston Mayor Lorraine H. Morton. “There are even electrical contractors in there – who knows what could happen? It’s the best program for youths in the city.”
The fair also provided an opportunity for Northwestern students to work within the community. Education freshman Laura Beres volunteered through the Evanston branch of National Student Partnership, a nonprofit organization that links student volunteers with individuals in search of training, jobs and other services.
“We always talk about the Northwestern bubble, but this is really a way to connect to Evanston,” she said. “It’s a service to talk to people about how Northwestern can be a more involved part of the city.”
“It’s very nice being here and seeing how diverse Evanston is,” said Dun Wang, a Weinberg sophomore who also volunteered through NSP and helped interview students for the Evanston Police Department. “I don’t think I’ve interviewed a single white kid all day, and I’ve interviewed at least 20 kids. It’s really eye opening.”
NU also was represented at the job fair, seeking to hire four groundskeepers.
“We’ve had fewer kids this year, but my concern is that we have enough kids to fill the jobs we’re offering, and that’s what the employers want,” said Haynes. “So if we have that, we’ve certainly succeeded in our goals.”
