Participants in Alexandria’s Summer Youth Employment Program got a pleasant surprise at their closing ceremony on Thursday — free Dell laptops from Comcast.
The program, which started on June 30 and pays $12.41 per hour, recognized nearly 100 students Thursday night (Aug. 7) at the Virginia Tech Innovation campus. Katrina Ashmore, chief of the city’s Workforce Development Center, said that the program is more than just a summer job.
“It’s about building confidence, expanding career pathways, and ensuring that our youth are seen, supported and set up for success,” Ashmore said. “It’s also about exposure, exposure to opportunities, to possibilities, into environments like this. This helps to make young people imagine what is possible for their future. We’re deeply grateful to the families, mentors, supervisors, as well as partners who made this summer possible.”
The six-week program allows kids to work 20 to 30 hours a week. Comcast’s donation is part of its $1 billion Project UP campaign.
“We are proud to deepen our partnership with the City of Alexandria and support the incredible students of the Summer Youth Employment Program,” said Misty Allen, vice president of government affairs and community impact for Comcast’s Beltway Region. “This program is a powerful example of how community investment and collaboration can help young people jumpstart career opportunities.”
This is the third summer that Aziz Asetanekzai has been in the program.
“In the past three years, I worked in William Ramsey and Patrick Henry Recreation Centers,” Asetanekzai said. “Honestly, working with SYEP has been one of the greatest experiences I’ve had. It gave me a chance to meet new people who work in different places and grow both personally and professionally.”
Mayor Alyia Gaskins said that the city invests in the program to give children a chance at success.
“If you’re able to show up in the classroom and work and in your community with that same energy, that same confidence in yourself, that is the foundation to success, that is the investment we want to keep making in you,” Gaskins said. “I hope, most importantly, you recognize that this program was about you and an investment in you, because your city believes that you are creative, that you are talented, and that you have the power to make a difference in this city and beyond.”
