Austin students can now apply for the After School Matters internship and apprenticeship programs.
Most of the 7,000 work opportunities will begin the first week of July.
“After School Matters strives to offer Chicago teens unique and productive program opportunities in safe and enriching environments throughout the summer and the school year,” said Mary Ellen Caron, chief executive officer of After School Matters in a press release.
“By supporting their development of skills in a variety content areas, as well as important career readiness skills, we help them discover their potential and gain the confidence they need to find their future.”
Over the course of six weeks, students will be exposed to work in programs in the arts, communications, science, sports and technology.
Interns will earn $8.25 an hour, and apprentices will receive a stipend up to $420. Depending on the job, students will work in over 30 Chicago public high schools, 120 neighborhood organizations and Chicago Park District locations across the city, as well as at the Gallery37 Center for the Arts and under the tents at Millennium Park.
Students must be either entering or currently enrolled in a high school to join the programs. Students have to be 14 for the apprenticeships and 16 for the internships.
See a few of the programs offered:
Pre-Freshman Program in Engineering and Science (PREP) – Science37
Location: Chicago State University Foundation in Roseland
PREP is a pre-collegiate program that expands students’ understanding of science and technology, and the impact that professions in those fields have on society. Teens will work in small teams to design, construct and program a robot to navigate a predetermined terrain in local, regional and national robotics competitions.
Columbia College Creative Writing – Words37
Location: Gallery37 Center for the Arts in the Loop
The Columbia College Creative Writing program teaches the art of storytelling and connects the power of story to the arts, science and the working world. Through weekly workshops with published writers, teens selected for this advanced apprenticeship program will develop fiction and nonfiction content in story forms including dreams, folktales, essays, sketch comedy writing and more.
Advanced Video Production – Tech37
Location: Gallery37 Center for the Arts in the Loop
Teens will learn the essentials of making their own short movies, including script writing, operating video cameras and editing. The program begins with technical workshops on how to make films look professional; apprentices will brainstorm and pitch their own ideas for short films. Once in production, teens write scripts, perform, direct and then edit their ideas into finished films.
Mi Cocina Culinary Arts Club – Gallery37
Location: Casa Central in West Town
Casa Central’s Mi Cocina Culinary Arts Club introduces teens to the culinary arts profession and assists them in developing basic competencies in creating menus, proper sanitation and maintaining a safe kitchen.
Beverage Industry Products and Profits – Tech37
Location: Austin Polytech High School in Austin
Teens in this program will be exposed to various aspects of the multi-billion dollar local and global non-alcoholic beverage industry. Guided by a nationally recognized high school business and entrepreneurship curriculum, hands-on classroom activities and field trips, teens will gain industry and career insights to key beverage categories. Teens will develop and practice skills to think critically, perform consumer math and become more effective communicators.
The Chicago Botanic Garden (Green Youth Farm) – Science37
Location: Dyett High School in Washington Park
This Chicago Botanic Garden program offers teens the opportunity to learn all aspects of organic farming – from planting seeds and managing a hive of bees to cooking with the food they grow and selling it at farm stands and markets. Students also learn to cook with the food they grow and participate in outreach and team building activities.
Tennis Academy – Sports37
Location: Tulley Park in Chatham
The goal and objectives of the Tennis Academy will be to provide teens an opportunity to learn, develop and maintain an active and healthy lifestyle through tennis. Tennis develops many skills including social interaction, physical and mental challenge, communication and goal setting.
For more information about After School Matters and to apply for Summer programs, visit www.afterschoolmatters.org.