Hartford teens have been working for almost two years to help their peers find jobs.  They will see their efforts pay off when Project OBJECT (Our Business is Jobs Employing Connecticut Teens) opens at Weaver High School.  Located within the Weaver High School Career Center, the youth-run job service will feature a regularly updated jobs bulletin board, an employer database, and a website (http://www.freewebs.com/projectobject/), all designed to match Hartford youth to jobs in their community.  The grand opening of Project OBJECT will take place on Wednesday, March 1, at 3:00 pm in the library of Weaver High School. 

Project OBJECT is a venture that has been in the making since 2004.  That summer, 35 Hartford youth were employed at the Youth Action Research Institute (YARI) at The Institute for Community Research (ICR).  As a group, they decided to study teen hustling, which they defined as the illegal selling of goods such as drugs or bootleg CDs. About half of these teens returned to work at YARI in 2005 and joined with other youth researchers to study neighborhood conditions. In both projects, the youth researchers found that the monetary struggles that youth and their families face as a result of unemployment, underemployment and the overall cost of living expenses can influence teens to hustle, and can also affect the physical and social conditions of neighborhoods.  Project OBJECT is a direct response to these two issues.  “If it goes well, teens can get jobs so they won’t have to hustle,” says Kijuan Smith, a 17-year-old Weaver student who has been a youth researcher at ICR since 2004.  “That would also improve neighborhood conditions.” By bringing the service into the school setting, Project OBJECT will make jobs more available to students over the long-term.  “The youths’ idea is that because they run it, other students would be more likely to come in and use their services,” says Prevention Research Educator Chiedza Rodriguez, who coordinates YARI.  “At the same time, the career center would also become more accessible to students.”

Since October 2005, seven Hartford youth have been working at ICR for four hours a week to design and launch the job service at Weaver.  They have been negotiating with school officials, searching for available jobs, and connecting with business owners.  To research students’ needs, the youth designed and administered a survey to over 650 Weaver students.  Responses from those surveyed indicated that many teens want jobs and need help finding them.  When the center opens, three Weaver students will be employed to run it, and more will be offered community service hours to help out.  Youth researchers who attend Bulkeley and Hartford High have been documenting the process at Weaver so that job centers can be started at their high schools next year. “The youth are trying to make a positive difference in their community, and we are hoping that the community will support them in that,” says Prevention Research Educator Damion Sincere Morgan.  For more information please contact Chiedza Rodriguez, Youth Action Research Institute Coordinator, at (860) 278-2044 ext. 256.

###

The Institute for Community Research is an independent, nonprofit organization that conducts applied research and community enhancement programs to promote equal access to health, education, and cultural resources.  Project OBJECT is supported by the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services; the Perrin Family Foundation; Capital Workforce Partners; and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.