MINEOLA, NY – Nassau County Executive Laura Curran and the Nassau County Office of Youth Services kicked off the County’s 2019 Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) on Friday, June 28, 2019 at the Mitchel Field Athletic Complex Field House with their annual On-Boarding Day. The County Executive was joined by Deputy County Executive Kyle Rose-Louder and Commissioner of Human Services Carolyn McCummings and participating local students ages 14- 21.
Through the support of the Nassau County Department of Human Services, and partnerships with Gateway Youth Outreach, Hispanic Brotherhood Inc. of Rockville Center, Bank of America, and the United Way, 55 youth will be employed at community-based nonprofit agencies as well as for profit companies and organizations throughout Nassau County for the months of July and August 2019. Organizations include: Mercy Hospital, Molloy College, Hampton Inn, and Mejias, Milgrim Alvarado, P.C. as well as Hicksville Teen-age Council, Inc., Hispanic Counseling Center, Inc., and Choice for All not-for-profit organizations. This year OYS’ summer employment initiative has also received support from Ikea which donated bookbags to participating youth.
“I want to thank the leadership and staff at the Office of Youth Services for their dedication and work to expand this impactful program that helps inspire career paths and goals for our local youth,” said County Executive Curran. “I am very proud of the many opportunities that the County offers to help usher the next generation into our workforce.”
“The Office of Youth Services is excited to announce that this year’s summer youth employment includes a new Career Exploration Summer Employment opportunity for Hempstead youth to explore a diverse range of career options while they work,” said Department of Human Services Executive Director, Dana Boylan, Esq. “The goal is to encourage youth to engage in early exploration of pathways that will help to inspire them to reach for career goals – through education, shadowing and apprenticeship programs. We encourage companies, sole proprietors, professional offices to contact our office if they would like to serve as a host employer as we move toward building our capacity to provide more jobs and serve more youth in the area.”
For more information on how to serve as a host employer, please contact the Office of Youth Services at 516-227-7134.
In addition, Nassau County’s Office of Mental Health, Chemical Dependency & Developmental Disabilities Services also provide internships focusing on: Narcan trainings, public education, community outreach and forensics.
Summer Youth Employment and Internship Programs with Department of Health
The Nassau County Department of Health partners with colleges and universities to provide internships and summer seasonal positions to undergraduate and graduate students who are Nassau County residents. Nassau County Department of Health currently has a total of 40 interns and summer seasonal staff. Opportunities range from learning and assisting in the surveillance of communicable diseases, which includes and understanding of disease distribution in the county, participating with partner agencies to collaboratively implement health programs, gain an understanding of the pathology and social determinants of health, and develop the skills that are required for the reporting of public health measures.
“These positions provide an opportunity for students to apply their classroom learning to real-world public health matters that the Health Department handles on a daily basis. Nassau County continues to draw students who are talented and have achieved academic success,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein. “I am proud of this partnership, and the dedicated staff at the Department of Health who mentor and provide leadership to our students. Many of our interns and seasonal staff have continued on to successful careers in public health.”
Additionally, seasonal staff in the Division of Environmental Health assist with:
- compliance checks for tobacco sales to underaged persons,
- collecting mosquito specimens used for arbovirus testing,
- investigations of animal bites to prevent the spread of rabies,
- supporting the staff in toxic and hazardous storage by verifying the removal or abandonment of residential oil tanks,
- collecting water samples at regulated beaches to test for water quality compliance,
- inspecting public pools to check chlorine residuals in pool water, and compliance with other pool regulations,
- data entry of drinking water lab results and assist with the processing of permits and other related office support.
Youth Employment Programs with the Department of Social Services
In addition, Nassau County’s Department of Social Services has kicked off their 7th annual Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) with 110 participating youth. SYEP is available to Underprivileged Kids (youth receiving public assistance and/or meeting the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families). Local students are placed within 22 departments.
“Since many low-income youths face the prospect of a difficult transition into work or college, constructive workforce experiences can provide great benefits,” said Paul Broderick Acting Social Services Commissioner. “The goals of the work experiences are to build on the youth’s analytical, clerical, pre-vocational and vocational skills.”
A major emphasis of the SYEP includes job readiness workshops. The job readiness training curriculum focuses on preparing individuals with the skills they need to secure an entry-level job. The workshops include educational training and assisting youth in acquiring skills that can be used to improve school performance and help them become responsible adults.
The topics of this six-session curriculum are:
- Career Exploration
- Resume Preparation
- Interviewing Techniques
- Financial Literacy
- Networking
- Employment Retention
For more information on youth services, visit: https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/1957/Youth-Services