Summer Jobs for Teens
Many teens take up summer jobs in order to earn some cash, get exposure to handling their own finances for the first time, and to learn to take orders (in more ways than one!). Many more, however, either do not – or, in today’s economy, cannot. One could quite reasonably argue that kids having jobs is good for the area, good for the kids, and good for the future of the local workforce, because of how it expands the number of people who are familiar with how work really works. And that’s Good for Business!
OP-ED courtesy of the Dispatch –
While we don’t begrudge students a break from their academic work, we believe there is much to say for using the summer to gain experience for the real world of work they will soon enter once their school days have ended. This is not simply conjecture. A 2013 Brookings Institute study found that finding a job as an adult is harder for those who did not work during their teen years. The study also found that kids who worked in high school earned wages that were 10 to 15 percent higher after graduating from college.
While education prepares young people for a life of work, there is no substitute for personal experience. These are fundamental lessons: Showing up on time, being prepared, taking direction, meeting goals, working with others, solving problems and any number of other experiences a person typically encounters during the work day.
We encourage all teens to actively pursue work this summer. We also implore businesses to make room for those young people. It benefits the business and the community. We want our young people to be well prepared for the adult world. That’s why we send them to school, after all.
As has been said, a mind is a terrible thing to waste. So, too, is a summer.
Read the full article here: http://www.cdispatch.com/opinions/article.asp?aid=50742
Just a reminder, everyone! Columbus’ 21st Market Street Festival kicks off tomorrow night with a bang and a party! This year’s theme is Mardi Gras, so wear your best purple, gree, and gold outfit and Laissez les Bon Temps Roulez!
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) — 
The Mayor’s Eighth Annual Unity Picnic will be held Saturday at Columbus Riverwalk Park, after Catfish in the Alley, from 4 to 8 p.m. The family-friendly event is free and open to the public. There will be hot dogs and catfish, as well as a live band, a DJ and jump castles for children. All food and events have been donated by local businesses, organizations, and individuals. There will also be a half-marathon beginning at 7 a.m., which takes runners alongside the Tombigbee River bed. A 5K begins at 8 a.m. and goes through Columbus’s historic neighborhoods. Catfish in the Alley begins at 10 a.m. on Fourth Street, where families can enjoy food and live music.
