Coatesville Initiative Serves Parkesburg Youth

Parkesburg native Bruce Reeves (left), who will be a senior at Octorara Area High School, and Mariah Johnson, who will be a tenth-grader at the Coatesville 9-10 Center, spent their summer working at the Art Partners Studio as part of the Coatesville Youth Initiative.

This from the Community Courier:

While many teens spent the summer at the pool or hanging out at the mall, 40 youths between the ages of 14 and 18 took part in the Coatesville Youth Initiative ServiceCorps, an eight-week program which placed them at worksites throughout the county, including the Brandywine YMCA, the Coatesville Public Library, the Graystone Society, the Regency Park Apartments and the Chenoa Manor Animal Sanctuary.

As part of the program, held for the second summer, participants worked at their host sites Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Fridays, they took part in leadership training programs. 

They were paid $7.50 per hour and worked 35 hours per week.

Chaya Scott of the Brandywine Health Foundation, director of the Coatesville Youth Initiative, explained that students in the Coatesville Area School District were eligible to apply for the program. 

They were required to answer four essay questions and supply two references. "We got 174 applications from eighth-graders through high school (students). From the applications, we scored the essays and interviewed 94 kids in four days," Scott said.

Based on a combination of their essay scores and interviews, 40 students were chosen to participate. Students were also asked to fill out an interest sheet stating what type of employment they would like, such as working with children or office work.

Bruce Reeves, a student at Octorara Area High School (OAHS), spent his summer working at Art Partners Studio, along with Mariah Johnson, who will be a 10th-grader at the Coatesville 9-10 Center.

Read the entire article here.