By Steve Waring
Special to the Milwaukee Times
City of Milwaukee Mayor Tom
Barrett, 15th District Alderman
Russell Stamper and Milwaukee
Common Council President Michael
Murphy jointly announced
$375,000 in new funds to provide
summer employment for an additional
200 Milwaukee area youth on
Monday, May 11, 2015 at the headquarters
of the Running Rebels,
1300 W. Fond du Lac Ave.
The Running Rebels is a notfor-
profit organization founded in
1980. Its mission is to develop Milwaukee’s
youth mentally, physically
and spiritually, according to information
provided on its website.
One of the programs in
which the Running Rebels
participate is ‘Earn & Learn’,
a summer jobs program administered
by the city that
helps provide prospective
employers with youth who
are trained and supported by
staff.
“Everyone remembers
their first summer job,” Mayor
Barrett said. “It sets you
on your course for life.” Milwaukee
has a program that
can help ensure that first job
helps set young adults in a
positive direction, the Mayor
added. Any business can hire
youth, he said, but working
with the Earn & Learn training
program opens career
pathways beyond the summer,
including case management
and project oversight.
The program also provides
the young adults with job
skills training before sending
them out for interviews,
so there is less ‘luck of the
draw’ in hiring for prospective
employers. The Earn &
Learn program is a part of
the Mayor’s comprehensive
public safety approach. Under
the leadership of Mayor
Barrett, Earn & Learn has
placed more than 22,000 students
in summer jobs since
its inception.
In addition to Ald. Stamper,
the press conference
brought out a number of
members of the Milwaukee
Common Council, including:
Fourth District Ald.
Robert Bauman, First District
Ald. Ashanti Hamilton,
Third District Ald. Nik Kovac,
10th District Ald. and
Common Council President
Ald. Michael J. Murphy, and
Twelfth District Ald. José G.
Pérez.
“Placing youth in their first
summer job is very important,”
Ald. Stamper said. “I
am calling on members of
the local business community
for your help. Many of you
out there can reach out and
give a young person a job
this summer. No business
leader in this community got
where they are today without
a helping hand. If you want
a peaceful summer, help our
youth by offering them a
job.”
Also joining the delegation
at the podium were several
city leaders who had pledged
to provide summer jobs for
youth, including ministers
from two local churches:
Bishop Charles H. McClelland
of the Holy Cathedral
of the Church of God in
Christ, 2677 N. 40th St.;
and Pastor Harold Moore
of Mercy Memorial Church,
2474 N. 37th St.
“The Mayor called and
explained the program to
me,” said Pastor Moore. “I
told him we are willing to do
whatever they want. We are
ready to do our part.”