By Matthew Hersh
Forty-six Princeton middle and high school students are spending their summer building workplace skills, serving their community, and earning a paycheck through the Municipality of Princeton’s Summer Youth Employment Program.
The eight-week program, which began June 29 and runs through August 21, places students in paid positions with municipal departments and local nonprofit organizations, providing hands-on work experience while helping participants develop professional and leadership skills.
This summer, students have been placed with the Planning Department’s Office of Historic Preservation, Human Services Department, Office of Affordable Housing, Health Department, Finance Department, Princeton University NOW Day Nursery, Princeton University Art Museum, Friends of Princeton Open Space, and the Princeton Housing Authority.
Their work ranges from child care and clerical support to food pantry operations, environmental stewardship, historic preservation, and other public service initiatives, exposing students to a variety of career paths while strengthening their connections to the Princeton community.
The program also expanded this year with a new placement in the Planning Department and a hybrid internship shared among Human Services, Corner House Community Kitchen, and Send Hunger Packing Princeton, giving participants broader exposure to community service and human services work.
“A community is judged by how it treats its people,” said Councilman Leighton Newlin. “Every summer, our Human Services team proves that Princeton believes in its young people, not just with words, but with real opportunities through the Princeton Youth Employment Program. That’s government at its very best.”
Administered by the Human Services Department, the Summer Youth Employment Program combines paid employment with career readiness training, including resume preparation, interviewing, financial literacy, workplace expectations, and other professional development. The Municipality recently expanded eligibility to students from households earning up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level, broadening access to paid summer employment for local families.
Municipal officials said students gain confidence, improve their communication and teamwork skills, and discover new interests as they work alongside municipal employees and nonprofit staff throughout the summer.
The program’s impact can also be measured over the long term. Two of its current coordinators, Sam Nelson and Denise Spivey, first participated in the Summer Youth Employment Program as students before returning to help lead it, demonstrating how the initiative can inspire continued civic engagement and professional growth.
The program is funded primarily by the Municipality of Princeton, with additional support from the Princeton Housing Authority and Princeton Community Housing. Human Services officials also recognized Send Hunger Packing Princeton for providing lunches at no cost to vulnerable community members while supporting the network of services that helps sustain programs like the Summer Youth Employment Program.
For program details, go to princetonnj.gov/755/Summer-Youth-Employment-Program.