COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — Teens and their families were met with a red carpet and photo shoots at a private showing of a documentary about their program Sunday.
The Columbus Urban League’s Work Readiness Training University program wrapped up for the summer, and celebrated in style at Lennox Town Center.
“We had over 417 young people participate in the program this summer,” Vice President Charity Martin-King said.
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The program began just over 15 years ago, in an effort to provide paid, real-life work experience for teens in Columbus from low-income families and backgrounds.
“When I think about it, not everybody has a parent or a person who can make that handshake and say, ‘Yeah, I know somebody who will get you a job,’” Martin-King said. “So, we provide the warm handshake for our young people.”
WRTU partnered with many local organizations to provide work experience opportunities, like COSI, the U.S. Department of Natural Resources, CoverMyMeds, and more.