40 Peoria high school students are earning some money and learning about The Public Works Department this summer. It’s part of the Mayor’s Youth Group summer internship program that runs through late July.
The Mayor’s Youth Group ended after 2011 due to budget constraints, but was put back into this year's spending plan. Group coordinator Tim Thornton says the program instills a sense of community pride for the students:
“As they’re going around town this year, next year and in the future, that they can say, you know I created that, or I made that look better than it was before.”
Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis says the program can also help with recruiting for city positions in the future.
“It provides a good opportunity for the students to understand that these are real job opportunities in the future, something they might be interested in doing.”
Students will paint railings and garbage cans, plant flowers and clean-up downtown areas as part of the internship.