CVRF opens Summer Youth-to-Work Program application period

Coastal Villages Region Fund (CVRF) today (March 23rd) announced program details and application instructions for its 2017 Youth-to-Work (YTW) program.

CVRF will be running its YTW program for the 11th consecutive summer, making it possible for youth in the region to have access to valuable work and cultural learning opportunities. Youth participating in the 2017 YTW program will work at CVRF’s Community Service Centers, performing service projects, shadowing workers at other organizations in the community, and learning from expert instructors who will share knowledge about activities such as mending fish nets, making Yup’ik crafts, gathering foods for elders, and other traditional life skills.

The application period for the 2017 YTW program is currently open. The first session will take place from May 31st to June 30th and the second session will take place from July 5th to August 4th. Youth aged 14-19 in CVRF’s 20 Western Alaska communities are encouraged to apply at CVRF’s website.

One of CVRF’s primary goals with the YTW program is to engage youth with the benefits of employment, giving them an opportunity to develop and hone foundational workplace skills, while gaining important insight about how to use their abilities to contribute to their community. For many young people, YTW is also the first major program they engage with at CVRF before eventually going on to take advantage of the organization’s scholarship and internship opportunities.

“The CVRF summer Youth-to-Work program is a great opportunity for exposing teens in our communities to real-life work and cultural learning experiences,” said Janet Erik, CVRF’s Communications Specialist based in Chefornak. “This program teaches valuable lessons that youth can take into their adult lives to be productive and successful wherever their future takes them.”

In 2016, 698 YTW employees earned over $517,000 in wages paid by CVRF.