Goodwill is giving at risk youth now out of school an alternative to crime -- and paying them quite well.
Dominique Weathers is spending her summer doing laundry. It's not what every 16-year-old would willingly do on her school break, but she couldn't be happier.
"I think it's pretty cool because I've applied everywhere, and it's been really hard,” she said.
Weathers makes $8 an hour at the Double Tree Hotel in Northeast Austin and is anxiously waiting for her first paycheck on Friday.
"My mom needs a lot of help, so half of my check is going to her. Then after that, I need books, and I need papers and stuff like that."
She is one of 200 students and young adults working under Goodwill's Pathways Summer Employment Program. Participants have a range of hardships, such as low income families, are teen parents, or have a history with the juvenile justice system.
"Some of these youths are coming in from families where both parents are incarcerated, are absent from the family,” said Laura Griebel, Goodwill Youth Services Program Manager.
Goodwill contracts out qualifying participants to dozens of local employers including the Double Tree, HEB and Taco Cabana. The funding comes from federal stimulus money and is enough to provide a paycheck for up to 600 workers for eight weeks.
"It's getting them off the streets. Giving them something productive to do during the day, and it's giving them some money in their pockets so they don't have to try and get that money in other ways,” Griebel said.
According to the Austin Police Department, juvenile arrests peak during the months of April and May but remain at an increase June through August.
"Thefts and car burglaries are the ones we really associate with juveniles as the ones that they commit,” said Corporal Scott Perry, Austin Police Department.
With goals of becoming a doctor or a meteorologist, Weathers doesn't have time for all of that. She's a working girl.
There are still 400 spots left. If you are interested contact Roberto Plano, Pathways Administrative Assistant, at 796-1021.
Eligibility Criteria:
-16 to 24 years of age
-US citizen
-Travis County Resident
-Must reside with a parent, caretaker or adult relative
-Must be receiving some form of public assistance and provide current documentation
