Step-Up is a local summer program that
introduces teens to temporary employment and prepares them for future
careers. It runs 9 weeks, not including the courses that must be
attended before hand. The students are educated about resumes, dress
codes, attitudes, bills, pay rates, credit cards, banking, checking,
necessary job skills, among other skills. At the start of the summer,
students pick out a job and are on the road to cultivating life
skills and a stipend of at least $1,000.
Mayor R.T. Rybak created the
internship program for teens so they could have an opportunity to
learn life and employment skills while making extra money. The
internships also teach the teen employees about the job fields, in
the hopes of helping youth find their career paths. It is targeted
toward minority teens, such as African Americans and Native
Americans. As it has grown and partnered with more companies, Step-Up
expanded and is available to more teens. Companies and organizations
such as the YWCA and the Hennepin County Libraries have even asked
for more interns.
Although Rybak has worked to make most
of Minneapolis youth eligible for Step-Up, there are still some
students who did not get accepted into the program and are left
unemployed. Some students have argued that the youth of higher
socioeconomic standing do not need the employment, but others say
that Step-Up is more than money and employment.
One of this year’s mayoral
candidates Bob Fine, 64, served on the Step-Up council as the park
board representative for several years. He says that Step-Up is a,
“priority of the Youth Coordinating Board,” and is planning on
enlarging the program. “I want to work to expand the program to
include more youth and offer more opportunities, such as year- round
programming, especially for the older participants.”
Fine wants to create more jobs for
more people, stretching outside of its current parameters. In
previous years, Step-Up was geared towards youth of lower
socioeconomic status. Now Fine says that Step-Up is vital to
Minneapolis, “making it a place where youth feel supported and
valued.” He says that doing this will also support the graduation
rates. In the Native American community, estimates say only 50
percent of Native students will graduate from high school. Fine
believes that expanding the Step-Up community will succeed in closing
that gap, as well as opening more doors for non-graduates. He plans
on funding this by pursuing the corporate contributions.
Mayoral candidate Jackie Cherryhomes,
58, agrees with the premise of Step-Up. “I am a strong supporter of
Step-Up and I compliment and congratulate [Rybak] on this very
successful program.” Cherryhomes said she is looking forward to the
possibility of being mayor and using that authority to expand and
strengthen Step-Up. Agreeing with Fine, Cherryhomes wants to work
towards including more youth in the future. If elected, Cherryhomes
said she plans on using the office to expand Step-Up, while Fine said
he would advance it, win or lose.
Brianna Skildum is currently a
sophomore at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis and writes for her
school newspaper. She writes for The Circle to broaden the discussion
in the Native youth community
