Posting Language
Title
Authorize negotiation and execution of an agreement with the Quality of Life Foundation for job placement and training services for the Emerging Leader Summer Internship Program in an amount not to exceed $92,000. Funding: $92,000 is available in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Operating Budget of the Economic Development Department.
De
Lead Department
Economic Development.
Fiscal Note
Funding in the amount of $92,000 is available in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Operating Budget of the Economic Development Department.
Prior Council Action:
Council has previously authorized the negotiation and execution of an agreement with the Quality of Life Foundation for the Emerging Leadership Summer Internship Program, without objection, on the following dates: May 30, 2024; July 20, 2023; May 19, 2022; and July 29, 2021.
For More Information:
Anthony Segura, Interim Director, Economic Development Department, 512-974-3187; Dr. Chiquita Eugene, Youth Initiatives Office Administrator 512-972-5004.
Additional Backup Information:
The national unemployment rate for youth ages 15 to 19 was 13.7% as of February 2025, and rates are higher in many states and for certain demographic groups. The Emerging Leader Summer Internship Program (ELSIP), an initiative of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Bank of America, offers up to 68 internship opportunities to youth ages 15 to 18. ELSIP leverages public and private funding to place low-to-moderate-income teens in summer jobs, which meets a critical need for summer youth employment.
Bank of America awards funding to the Quality of Foundation, which in turn reimburses the City for ELSIP expenses up to $92,000 per year. The Youth Initiatives Office, currently located within the Economic Development Department, will provide the workforce training necessary to prepare the students to enter the workforce. The program provides productive summer engagement and learning opportunities for at-risk teens, including work experience that can set them on a course toward lifetime economic self-sufficiency. At the end of this program, ELSIP interns will have:
• Learned how to work in a professional environment;
• Learned how to manage their money through financial training;
• Participated in two field trips to learn about government; and
• Participated in a Culminating Ceremony where they provided a verbal report on their work.