Summer Job Hunting

After the car saga came to a successful conclusion, Oldest Brady Girl came by tonight to do her online application for a summer job through the Youth Ready Chicago website. They are taking applications through July 6, but some programs have earlier deadlines, so if you haven't signed up yet, do it soon!

Oldest Brady Girl's two sisters did their applications here last night, and another girl from the next block up did hers here a while ago. Here's what I've learned about the application process. It seems to go a lot more easily if you know the organization you want to apply to--if you're just applying for everything it takes a long time to work through all the stuff. Last night for some reason some of the girls found themselves accidentally logged out and had to start all over--I'm still not sure why that happened. The After School Matters programs are listed by sponsoring organization, and that's the easiest way to find the program you're looking for. So if you want to do an ASM program, it's good to do your homework first and know the organization you want to apply to.

While Oldest Brady successfully completed her application tonight, her sisters and cousins were wanting to help me out. "Do you need us to clean anything?" Ines asked me.

"Yes I do," I said. "Want to sweep the floor?" They did. Then they organized the vast pile of baby gear in the room that will eventually become the nursery. They found this goofy doll somebody gave me that I kept mostly to practice with baby carriers (especially the sling wrap that a dear friend and regular reader of this blog recently got for me--thanks so much! Now that the car works again I can go pick it up.) Tonight Ines came downstairs with the dolly in a Baby Bjorn. It was flopping around and we were all cracking up.

"You don't fold your own clothes that nicely at home," Oldest Brady Girl teased one of her younger sister, who had been organizing and folding baby clothes.

I had leftover baby shower favors from a shower with my relatives out east, so each of the younger girls picked out their favorite animal-shaped cookie cutter to take home with them.

I hope the older girls actually do get jobs out of this. I have contacts at a couple of the organizations they applied to, so we sent emails to those contact people saying they have applied on line and is there anything else they have to do. We'll see.

Hey, Kids--Get a Summer Job!

It's that time again--time to start thinking about summer jobs. The city's summer jobs program for young people, now known as Kidstart, is taking applications. Here's what I heard from my pal on 49th and Hermitage:

Here is a link for all CPS students, ages 14-21 for an opportunity to get a summer job. I know that all our neighborhood children are always on the look out for a job.

I think that being level headed and always having some type of responsibility (job) is the key to getting ahead especially when you live in a neighborhood like ours. Well maybe i can just speak for myself but that was actually the key factor for me to have stayed away from trouble and all the negative influences that were actually more visible in the past. Anyway hopefully we can help out as many kids stay level headed and hopefully make something of themselves.


For more information, you can call the summer jobs hotline at 773-553-JOBS. Some of the kinds of jobs available are coach, tutor, nutrition aide and even journalist.
Applications are due April 25, so get on it now--don't wait!