How Summer Jobs Can Impact a Community

A summer job is a great way for teens to earn their own money. Through the process of finding a summer job and succeeding in the summer job, teens can impact their communities just as their communities can impact the teen. Whether the community involves the local neighborhood of streets and avenues or the larger society as a whole, summer jobs can have lasting impact on a community and individuals.

Summer jobs keep teens out of trouble

You have probably heard the saying - the devil finds work for idle hands. If you haven't heard those specific words, you have heard some version of it. It is true. As parents, we all know this. The bottom line is that summer jobs keep teens out of trouble. Teens who are gainfully employed have less time to "hang out" and entertain themselves by getting into mischief. In a research study at Ohio State University on the relationship between crime and employment, Bruce Weinberg, co-author of a study and Associate Professor, stated "We found that a bad labor market has a profound impact on the crime rates." With less summer jobs to go around, communities can be impacted with nuisance crime.

Summer jobs at summer camps keep children safe and learning life skills

For a working parent the summer camp is a blessing. Camp enrollment spikes in the summer and so does the number of teens who get summer jobs as camp counselors or guides. Teens get to become mentors for younger children who look to them for leadership. Teens get to experience what it is like to be a role model and use their skills to engage and work with young camp participants.

Summer jobs instills pride of ownership

If many of the teens I know are an example, much of their paychecks from their summer jobs are recycled right in the very mall, store or facility where they work. Summer job paychecks, for my kids, contributed to major purchases, like cars, musical instruments and video gaming systems. The pride of ownership that comes from using hard earned money to make purchases, can impact how a teen handles money in the future. Having pride in ownership has larger ramifications for entire communities.

Summer jobs help teens understand civic responsibilities

Every year hundreds of government agencies hire teen workers in summer jobs. No matter what their long term career interest, teens can learn lifelong lessons about civic responsibility from working in a summer job with local or municipal government through student employment programs. Work can include neighborhood projects or office work. Either way, teens get an early understanding of how communities work.