City leaders to help keep teens out of trouble, fight crime this summer by putting them to work



MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- City leaders are putting teens on the streets -- giving them a summer job. They'll help to clean up Milwaukee, and they'll get paid for their hard work!

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Milwaukee aldermen came together Monday, May 11th to announce new jobs as part of the city's "Earn & Learn Program."

"I believe this program is destined to be successful," Milwaukee Alderman Russell Stamper said.

These summer jobs are being offered through the "Clean Youth Summer Job Initiative" -- a subset of the Earn & Learn Program.

"We're very proud of the success they`ve had. The Earn & Learn Program over the last 10 years put over 22,000 teenagers to work," Mayor Barrett said.

This summer, 200 teens will be hired to work as part of the Clean Youth Summer Job Initiative.

"We're going to go through North Avenue, Center Street, Hampton Avenue, 27th Street, the East Side -- all the streets in the neighborhoods that need the most work, that need the most cleaning. We want our community to feel proud of where they live," Alderman Stamper said.

To qualify for the program, teens must be between the ages of 14-18. They'll work 20 to 25 hours a week, making $8 per hour. The idea is to keep teens out of trouble this summer.



"There's a lot of crime in the community and the number one way to fight crime is to employ," Alderman Stamper said.

City leaders are also calling on Milwaukee business owners to help employ teens this summer.

"This is an opportunity where you can reach out and make a difference in our community. If you want to have a peaceful summer, help a young person find employment. Help them reach their goals," Milwaukee Common Council President Michael Murphy said.

The Clean Youth Summer Job Initiative will run for eight weeks beginning on July 1st.