Youth Programs

Overview

Charlotte youth sitting in a conference room smiling.

HNS Youth Programs has expanded its offerings to better meet young people (ages 13 -24) where they are, providing the resources they need to thrive. From youth engagement opportunities to employment programs, we are committed to nurturing potential and building on strengths, enabling youth to connect with others, contribute to their communities, and explore pathways in education and employment.

We offer resources, job opportunities, and support that help them build meaningful connections, develop essential skills, and explore new pathways in education and career development. Our programs focus on strengthening character through employment, fostering leadership, and encouraging community engagement. We celebrate the unique talents of each young person, supporting them in creating a brighter, more equitable future for themselves and their communities.

Upcoming Events

Youth Employment

MYEP Students smiling at the camera while holding #1 hand props at the MYEP Kickoff event.

The Youth Employment team is dedicated to equipping all Charlotte youth with the skills, experiences, and opportunities necessary for success in the workforce. Learn more about our programs below.

 

Mayor's Youth Employment Program

The Mayor’s Youth Employment Program (MYEP) provides Charlotte youth between the ages of 16 and 18 with equitable career development opportunities to explore the world of work, build social capital, and enhance economic mobility.

MYEP participants explore careers, hone skills, and gain exposure to models of professionalism, creating pathways to attainable career goals. As youth achieve, our community grows stronger.

We work with host employers in Charlotte's economy's private, public, and non-profit sectors who can provide one-of-a-kind career experiences. By partnering with the MYEP, businesses help youth develop career goals, stay in school, achieve academically, and enhance social skills that enable them to succeed.

 


Video Transcript MYEP It's Time

0:03

I'm looking for a career path that's

0:05

going to fulfill me one moment I was

0:08

saying right where you guys are right

0:09

now the next I was faced with corporate

0:12

America I remember being nervous waiting

0:14

to meet my employers the people you're

0:17

about to meet want you to succeed in a

0:20

few minutes the opportunity to choose

0:22

your own life begins my internship

0:28

turned into a four-year apprenticeship

0:30

with Bosch Rexroth which I just

0:31

completed and it helped me to get my

0:33

associates of science and computer

0:35

integrated machining and that is going

0:37

to turn into me continuing my education

0:39

to become a mechanical engineer I knew I

0:43

wanted to be a police officer I just

0:44

didn't know what that meant exactly I

0:47

was able to ride with them for 10 hours

0:50

on a police car go to cause do what they

0:53

do see what they'd see it was a great

0:56

experience there my internship and up on

1:00

Hill they treated me like family I

1:02

wanted to be a nurse anesthetist but

1:04

worked in the surgery waiting room I got

1:05

to scrub in to see his hip replacement

1:07

surgeries so I got to see every process

1:09

that went into the extra surgery

1:13

I was a part of the my IEP program 2015

1:17

and 2016 I interned at Edison Ford a

1:21

construction company and at HM TV yet

1:24

another construction company it was a

1:26

good experience I learned a lot and they

1:28

were willing to teach me everything that

1:30

they knew through my internship I

1:32

realized what my true passion was before

1:36

I interned with BankAmerica I was I was

1:39

all over the place I wanted to be a

1:41

physicist a journalist a lawyer a

1:44

firefighter a part of the police I

1:48

wanted to be part of the FBI or CIA I

1:50

wanted to work for the government I

1:52

wanted to be an artist I wanted to be a

1:54

dancer I got this experience for two

1:57

months in the corporate world learning

1:58

about the bank or finances or I would

2:00

see what the tellers do or learn from

2:02

the personal bankers you are ready

2:09

because you are prepared to take

2:11

advantage of the opportunity you don't

2:13

always recognize the moments that will

2:14

change your life at the time that

2:16

they're happening but this is happening

2:18

right now it's time

2:21

[Music]


MYEP History

In the Mid-1980s, Mayor Harvey Gantt developed a framework for a program to support upward mobility for Charlotte youth. In 1986 his vision came to life as the Mayor's Youth Employment Program (MYEP), dedicated to providing students with career experiences that help youth develop career goals, stay in school, achieve academically, and enhance social skills that enable them to succeed in life. Over the years, the MYEP has gained state and national recognition.

For Students: MYEP Application Process

Thank you for your interest in applying to the Mayor's Youth Employment Program!

Prospective MYEP participants must complete the following steps before being considered for placement:

  1. Complete Job & Career Readiness Training. If you received a completion certificate last year from (JCRT), you do not need to complete this course again. 
  2. Submit a MYEP application, including a resume, written component, career interests, and skills
  3. Complete a virtual MYEP interview
  4. Complete a background check and drug screening

MYEP staff review all application materials before assigning students to a Host Employer. 

Student Eligibility

Coming Soon, please check back for updated eligibility requirements.

Video Transcript MYEP plus Carolina Panthers

0:04

[Music]

0:08

i'm arthur leonard and i'm a rising

0:10

senior at providence high school

0:12

so my school sends out a weekly

0:15

newsletter with just random information

0:18

in it and my mom reads it every week and

0:20

she saw something about the mayor's

0:22

youth employment program and thought it

0:25

would be good for me to try out because

0:26

i was looking into where i could work

0:28

during the summer she also had a friend

0:31

who had a child that did it and had a

0:33

really positive experience so she

0:35

thought it would be good for me to do it

0:37

i just wanted a job and i thought that

0:40

an internship that they were offering

0:42

would look better on a resume or

0:44

something than if i just got a job at

0:46

like a fast food place or something

0:48

everyone's been like super enthusiastic

0:51

about telling me what they do and trying

0:53

to help me out and help me figure out

0:55

what i want to do as well and i just

0:58

think that

1:00

any time that i'll be looking for a job

1:02

or something in the future it'll be

1:04

really good to have any of them as a

1:06

reference or even just if i want to

1:08

contact them to ask about

1:10

their opinion on something i think they

1:12

would all be

1:14

really helpful in that aspect

1:16

so i definitely have known for a long

1:18

time that i want to be around sports and

1:21

obviously i figured out an early age

1:23

that didn't really mean playing but this

1:25

experience has been really good for me

1:27

to see that there are so many different

1:29

opportunities and for me specifically i

1:32

love statistics and analytics and

1:34

everywhere i've gone people have told me

1:36

that that's a great thing to get into so

1:38

it's just really encouraging to hear all

1:41

of them having to say that like i'm on

1:43

the right track

1:45

that what i'm doing is like a good goal

1:47

for myself i've seen yeah i've seen a

1:49

few people that deal with analytics and

1:51

they've all been

1:53

super helpful like directing me where to

1:55

go to see

1:56

people that would also know what to say

1:58

about that

2:01

having this to put on a resume anywhere

2:03

would look super good but it's just been

2:05

such a rewarding experience and so many

2:08

aspects and like it's just been at the

2:10

end of the day it's been fun i've

2:12

enjoyed coming here every day so

2:15

i think that's that's the best thing i

2:16

can take from it is that i've enjoyed it

2:20

yeah i would def i already have

2:22

recommended it to some of my friends but

2:24

yes i would definitely recommend for

2:27

people anyone that wants

2:29

an internship or just anything to get

2:32

involved

2:33

uh it's just been such a rewarding

2:35

experience for me and like

2:37

gotten some things out of it that i

2:39

don't think i could have gone from

2:40

anywhere else

2:42

that i've always known that sports is

2:44

where i want to be and just

2:46

allowing me to come see all of this and

2:48

realize that there will be a place for

2:50

me in the industry no matter where

2:53

like whatever path i decide to take

2:55

there will be a spot

For Businesses: Become A Host Employer

The MYEP works to provide all Charlotte youth with equitable career development opportunities to explore the world of work, build social capital, and enhance economic mobility. This mission is not possible without the support of businesses like you.

Ways businesses can get involved:

  • Sponsor a work experience for a student to be placed at a local non-profit
  • Serve as a Subject Matter Expert in one of our virtual pathways, benefiting hundreds of students interested in your industry
  • Host a student at your place of business during the 6-week window

Benefits to employer partnership:

  • No resumes or interviews to sort through
  • Participants have completed a college-level career and readiness training prerequisite
  • Custom matching with students based on skills/needs
  • Drug and background screenings

Becoming a host employer

The MYEP is a 6-week summer career-focused internship program, a minimum of 25 hours per week at a rate of $13/hour for a total of $1,950.

  • Experience can be onsite, virtual, or a hybrid of on-location and remote.
  • Pre-requisite training is offered to all CMS high schoolers and those in the Charlotte area who attend charter/private schools or are homeschooled.

Loebsack & Brownlee

 

Video Transcript MYEP at Loebsack and Brownlee

Sahasra Bangaru, MYEP participant, talks about her time at Loebsack & Brownlee with MYEP.

0:00

My name is Sahasra Bangaru and I'll be a junior at Ardrey Kell

0:02

High School next year.

0:05

It's been a great experience. I love learning about how this

0:09

works. I go to court maybe once a week with the attorneys and

0:12

I'm able to see how the things that we do behind the scenes at

0:16

the office go into play in court in front of a judge and

0:19

magistrate. Before this, I had no like real experience about

0:23

working in a law firm being a lawyer. But now being here just

0:25

made me want to do even more.

Katie Geyer, Litigation Support Manager at Loebsack & Brownlee, shares what she and Sahasra have been working on.

0:30

My name is Katie Geyer. I work at Loebsack and Brownlee and I'm

0:33

a litigation support manager.

0:36

You've been doing docket prep, which is preparing the dockets

0:39

the attorneys to take to court, we print out the lease ledger

0:40

notice we print out judgments and SCREs. She's been working

0:45

with the appeals team as well helping out and she's been

0:48

working with accounting.

Michelle O'Brien, Director of Operations at Loebsack & Brownlee, discusses Sahasra's learning opportunities.

0:51

My name is Michelle O'Brien. I am the Director of Operations at

0:55

Loebsack and Brownlee.

0:58

She's been able to attend court with our attorneys and get to

1:03

shadow them through the process and get to learn how the courts

1:08

work, how the small claims courts work. So we've tried to

1:11

give her a lot of opportunities. I've also taken her to one of

1:14

our partners partners, the Greater Charlotte Apartment

1:17

Association, I took her to a Suppliers Council business

1:21

meeting. And we had the opportunity to get in front of

1:24

introduce her to other partners in the in multifamily industry,

1:27

which is we're a tenant landlord law firm. So I just thought that

1:31

would be a really good experience for her to see all

1:33

aspects of our firm from our nonprofits that we participate

1:37

in to the courtroom to the office work. I'm Chris Loebsack

Chris Loebsack, Managing Principal & Founder of Loebsack & Brownlee, speaks about the benefits of partnering with MYEP.

1:41

with Loebsack and Brownlee and I'm the Managing Principal and

1:44

founder.

1:46

Oh, when we partnered with MYEP, it's really helped our company a

1:50

good bit. I mean it, you know, in the space of a summer, the

1:53

program only lasts for so long. But it is always helpful, I

1:57

think, for our team to have the opportunity to mentor somebody

2:01

else. And so just the opportunity to learn how to

2:04

teach them how to do some basic work for us is a skill builder

2:08

for our team because managing to young people's mindset and being

2:12

exposed to the young people mindset is important for

2:15

everybody. But it's really a fun little unique way for our team

2:19

to get some experience without having to work too hard at it. I

Sahasra Bangaru, MYEP participant, recommends the MYEP and JCRT programs.

2:24

would definitely recommend the MYEP to my friends. I always

2:26

recommended the MYEP. I already have recommended the MYEP to

2:29

other people. I really think it's a great experience. Not

2:32

only actually working here, but all the stuff that leads up to

2:35

it including the resume building, working on your

2:37

interview skills, the JCRT program, it like really gave you

2:41

a way to build up your skills, and like know who you are as a

2:44

person better and be able to understand what your strengths

2:48

and weaknesses are and work on them in the future. And I would

2:51

definitely recommend it and I would also want to be an

2:53

ambassador. That would be interesting and be able to help

2:56

people and bring more awareness to this program because actually

3:00

live who my school didn't know when they should know.

>

LAWA

Video Transcript LAWA Changes for the Better After a Summer with the MYEP in Charlotte

0:01

my name is anna ray and i'm the

0:03

executive director for latin americans

0:06

working for achievement we received an

0:08

email from the mayor's youth employment

0:10

program we went and looked at what was

0:12

the different qualifications for the

0:14

students and we were very impressed on

0:16

all the process that had to be done last

0:18

year when we first met freda

0:21

she was coming over she was a senior in

0:23

high school and we gave her the task to

0:26

look over some of our flyers some of our

0:29

website pages

0:30

and she was able to revamp everything

0:33

my name is freda alvarez and i'm a

0:35

marketing assistant at lawa so when i

0:38

got placed in mayab i thought it was

0:40

like i was very excited because i've

0:42

always wanted to kind of like experience

0:43

marketing

0:44

um considering marketing is like ever

0:47

changing nowadays but i was super

0:49

excited to start working here

0:51

because like i would be able to

0:54

impact my community and also learn more

0:56

about how

0:57

i can play a role in this field in

1:00

marketing and business my name is samara

1:02

saldivar and i'm the operations manager

1:04

for latin americans working for

1:06

achievement we aim to reach for students

1:09

like frida so having her really was a

1:12

game changer we did not expect how good

1:15

she was going to perform and she really

1:17

exceeded our expectations to the point

1:19

where she was in charge of other social

1:22

media outlets everything if you go on

1:24

lava for the most part is because of

1:26

frida so when her time was coming to an

1:29

end

1:30

we were like we really need to keep her

1:32

on and we offered her the job and she

1:35

was very excited to continue working for

1:37

us and we thought that it was a national

1:39

pro a natural progression

1:41

because she was so um well acclimated to

1:45

our staff

1:46

into the work that we do and she has

1:48

been part of our team since then

1:50

i wanted to work here at lowell because

1:53

i really felt like i wanted to make an

1:56

impact on my latino community

1:59

i've always been very passionate about

2:01

wanting to

2:02

go to college and pursue an education

2:05

and i feel like that's something a lot

2:06

of like latinos need to do more of

2:09

so i thought what better way to impact

2:12

my community and help education than

2:14

work at lowell because of course they

2:16

offer scholarships but they also do

2:19

programs like high school series where

2:20

they help latino students understand

2:24

different career paths and explore

2:26

colleges around the area so really i

2:29

just wanted to make a bigger impact on

2:31

the latino community and education

2:34

i would absolutely recommend this

2:36

program to anybody

2:38

that wants to have an interaction with

2:42

young students that are exceptional

2:44

students that are dedicated that have

2:46

been prepared very well through the maya

2:48

program and for us employers you're not

2:51

only getting very high quality students

2:54

but it's also a workforce development

2:56

because you never know what this young

2:58

student can bring to you

3:00

and maybe it will impact you in the

3:02

coming years i would recommend this

3:05

program to other students because it

3:08

helps you

3:10

create a network

3:11

for

3:12

a certain field that you're interested

3:14

in and mayap also just general like

3:17

helping out with building your resume

3:19

and learning interview tips and managing

3:22

your time

3:24

in your job it doesn't matter where you

3:26

what job you get like it still it still

3:28

really benefits you in your work

3:30

training this is our second year with

3:32

myapp and

3:33

um

3:34

i couldn't be more grateful for it was

3:36

just a simple email that we received

3:38

inviting us to participate and just that

3:40

simple email really you know changed

3:43

lawa and

3:44

and just amped it up and i think it

3:46

truly made lava much

3:48

much better than it was before

CAMP NORTH END   

Video Transcript Camp North End

0:00

my name is xavier rudisl i work at camp

0:03

north end part of atco properties and

0:05

real estate management and my job title

0:08

is community experience coordinator

0:10

and in layman's terms i'm part of the

0:12

fund committee at camp norfolk

0:14

so we have two maya interns this year um

0:17

so one is in two different departments

0:19

well one for each department so one is

0:21

in the community team department which

0:23

is my department mainly focused on

0:25

marketing pr and events and then the

0:28

other intern is in the leasing and

0:30

placemaking department so they're doing

0:32

a little bit with public art interior

0:35

exterior design and real estate and

0:38

development for the project

0:40

so the the intern and the leasing and

0:42

place making department it's helping

0:45

support those departments with their

0:47

art databases and kind of researching

0:50

new artists to kind of bring out here to

0:53

do more public art and also researching

0:55

new businesses to for us to kind of

0:57

reach out to and kind of bring to

0:59

charlotte and bring to kent work in and

1:01

the community team intern has been

1:03

assisting us with content development

1:05

for our social media and also assisting

1:07

and learning more about running events

1:09

and running some of our music stages we

1:11

kind of learned about mayap in a

1:13

untraditional way so one of the things

1:16

that i do at kept northern is manage our

1:18

ambassador program and bethany rodriguez

1:20

was a member of the ambassador program

1:23

and after she and i built that

1:24

relationship and she kind of learned

1:25

more about camp north then

1:27

she felt like kent norton would be a

1:29

great fit for maya i've been having a

1:30

couple of students here so she pitched

1:33

um becoming maya post to myself and some

1:36

other members of our team and kind of

1:37

from there we were kind of sold on kind

1:40

of like working with bethany again and

1:42

also working with the city in a

1:44

different relationship with some other

1:45

ones

1:46

i think it's helped us in a tremendous

1:48

way five weeks we feel wasn't enough

1:51

time we'd love to have them for five

1:52

months or five years um if we could um

1:55

but definitely it's been super helpful

1:57

just being able to kind of

1:59

have them help us with some tasks that

2:01

we kind of keep putting on the back

2:03

burner that are equally important as

2:04

some of our larger projects we just

2:06

don't really have the extra brain power

2:08

or manpower to kind of work on so

2:10

they've been super helpful on that front

2:12

especially when it comes to helping us

2:13

get organized with some things and then

2:15

also just kind of having them come in

2:18

and kind of be a breath of fresh air

2:19

since they are high schoolers and a

2:21

little more in tune to what the younger

2:23

generations are kind of into and excited

2:25

about and kind of can bring to our

2:27

businesses i think it's been super great

2:29

to kind of have that perspective

2:31

in some of our conversations we invite

2:32

them to any meeting that they want to

2:34

come to and kind of like let them ask

2:35

questions and kind of propose things so

2:37

that's been super helpful just kind of

2:39

getting some new ideas kind of brought

2:40

into the conversation that we wouldn't

2:42

have had with that demographics

2:44

one of the first things we had both

2:46

interns do was take a sitewide tour with

2:49

us um and along with like just kind of

2:51

learning more and getting the lay of the

2:53

land of camp northam we actually

2:55

introduced them to all the tenants who

2:56

happened to be open and we kind of said

2:58

hey too

2:59

and from there they have kind of chosen

3:01

which ones they kind of want to go to

3:02

again after the fact whether it's

3:04

patronizing them or just meeting them

3:06

and kind of experiencing what they have

3:08

to offer or just learning more from them

3:10

and kind of like beginning to open up

3:11

those doors for other opportunities even

3:14

beyond our internship so they've

3:15

definitely kind of learned more about

3:17

big businesses and small businesses as

3:19

well working here i believe so another

3:21

one of the things that we kind of had

3:23

them do during the first week or so

3:25

was i told both xbox interns to take

3:28

some time to really meet all the members

3:31

of kept north end's team there's 10 of

3:32

us 10 of us on site and then the head of

3:36

atco and also the head of our team damon

3:38

israel in new york and beyond just like

3:41

getting to know what everyone does on

3:42

the team also kind of helping them

3:45

figure out you know how to meet your

3:46

co-workers how to how to kind of like

3:48

start conversations with them i thought

3:49

was really important especially be

3:51

getting that and out of high school age

3:53

most people most high schoolers don't

3:54

know how to do that and don't really

3:55

know how to like become that first

3:57

person to say hey how are you i'm

3:58

touching such i want to ask you some

4:00

questions so that was a big part for us

4:02

and after them kind of going through

4:03

that process and meeting all 10 11 of

4:05

those people on our team we could

4:07

already tell they were more

4:09

confident in themselves to kind of go up

4:11

to other people as they were kind of

4:13

working with us and if we were like hey

4:14

if you want to meet somebody just go say

4:16

hey let them know what you're doing um

4:18

so from those internships some of those

4:19

mentorships are some of those other

4:21

tasks that require them to kind of speak

4:23

up and kind of advocate for themselves

4:25

we've seen them kind of grow in their

4:27

confidence in themselves and really

4:29

be bigger advocates and ambassadors for

4:31

themselves and their skills as well

4:33

beyond the fact of just having some

4:36

highly capable students working with

4:38

your team not for but working with your

4:40

team and kind of assisting you for those

4:42

five weeks i do think it's also an easy

4:45

process to get um an intern or intern

4:48

multiple um just because the cool thing

4:50

about mayap is that um the maya team

4:53

takes on pairing up interns with

4:55

potential host employees because the

4:58

application and interview process for

5:00

interns can be time consuming

5:03

but the fact that mayap kind of takes

5:04

that portion out of it and kind of pairs

5:06

them up for you

5:08

kind of takes that level of stress and

5:09

level of like time consumption of

5:11

finding the right intern out of it so i

5:13

think it's a great way to kind of get it

5:14

in turn without having to go through the

5:16

entire process of getting an intern and

5:18

then again going back to the fact that

5:20

having high schoolers and kind of having

5:22

younger people in your workplace is

5:24

great for ideations and great for kind

5:26

of figuring out you know what's new

5:28

what's popular what's working and what's

5:29

not having that person of eyes

5:31

is super important most people think

5:33

that high schoolers may not be capable

5:35

of doing the things that has been asked

5:38

of them but i think the my up students

5:40

after they've gone through that

5:41

application process through maya kind of

5:43

weeds out um the ones who may not be

5:46

careful but kind of brings out the best

5:47

of the best and kind of gives those

5:49

to the host employer so i think all

5:51

those are great reasons to get involved

5:53

with the maya program and why i highly

5:54

recommend it

5:56

[Music]


List of Partners and Sponsors 

  • Accenture
  • Allegacy Federal Credit Union
  • Ally Financial
  • Amwins
  • Atrium Health
  • Balfour Beatty
  • Bank of America
  • Blumenthal Performing Arts
  • Books with Color, Inc.
  • Bosch Rexroth
  • Care Ring
  • Carolina Family Alliance
  • CATS
  • Charlotte Art League
  • Charlotte Ballet
  • Charlotte Country Club
  • Charlotte Fire Department
  • Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department
  • Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools
  • Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA)
  • City of Charlotte
  • Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc.
  • Digi-Bridge
  • Discovery Place
  • Duke Energy
  • Electric Power Research Institute
  • Everage Law Firm, PLLC
  • Excel C Foundation
  • First Gen Success
  • FirstLight Home Care of Greater Charlotte
  • Freedom in Me
  • Freedom School Partners
  • Gaffney Health
  • Hack & Hustle Social Entrepreneurship Academy, Inc.
  • Hoopaugh Grading
  • Hope Community Clinic of East Charlotte
  • Hope Haven, Inc.
  • Latin Americans Working for Achievement (LAWA)
  • Loebsack & Brownlee, PLLC
  • Lowe's
  • LS3P Architects
  • Mecklenburg County Clerk of Superior Court
  • Mecklenburg County District Court #26
  • Messer Financial Group, Inc
  • Microsoft
  • Moore & Van Allen, PLLC
  • NC MedAssist
  • ourBRIDGE for Kids
  • Picture Project CLT
  • R.J. Leeper Construction, LLC
  • Raise a Child of The Carolinas
  • Robinson Bradshaw
  • She Built This City
  • Starmount Healthcare Management
  • Teen Health Connection
  • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
  • The Lee Institute
  • The Park Community Development Corporation
  • TIAA
  • Trane
  • Truist
  • Upcycle Arts
  • Urban League of Central Carolinas
  • Williams Chiropractic and Wellness

For Non Profits: Apply for a Grant to Become a Host Employer

The MYEP excited to provide grants to local non-profits to subsidize placements for Charlotte youth to have an immersive work experience with your organization.  This opportunity is an exciting way to expose youth to the meaningful work being done in the community.  

To Apply: 

Registered 501(c)3 organizations may apply for grant funding to provide a stipend for MYEP youth. 

  • Deadline to apply: January 17 
  • The grant application for this season is closed The deadline for Non-profits to apply to the MYEP is January 17 
  • Complete SparkHire Interview 
  • Submit Certificate of Liability 
Benefits to non-profit partners: 
  • No resumes or interviews to sort through 
  • Participants have completed our Job & Career and Readiness Training prerequisite 
  • Custom matching with students based on skills/needs 
  • Drug and background screenings 
  • Grant funding to provide payment to MYEP student 

Becoming a host employer 

The MYEP is a six-week, career-focused summer program for high school students 16 and older. They work a minimum of 25 hours per week at a rate of $13/hour for a total of $1,950. 

Experience can be onsite, virtual, or a hybrid of on-location and remote. 

Pre-requisite training is offered to all CMS high schoolers and those in the Charlotte area who attend charter/private schools or are homeschooled.


City of Charlotte Named All-America City for Its Youth Programs

Charlotte has been named a 2023 All-America City by the National Civic League for its work focused on youth engagement and development. This prestigious award has recognized and celebrated the best in American civic innovation since 1949.

Job and Career Readiness Training

Charlotte youth at Job and Career Readiness seminar

This program connects 16-24 year olds with career readiness training, including job readiness, interview preparation, and essential skills. Job & Career Readiness Training is available during the school day or on weekends, depending on what best fits your schedule.  

This training is the first required step for students interested in becoming eligible for the Mayor’s Youth Employment Program (MYEP). This program focuses on structured pathways toward career opportunities or specific goals.

Eligibility

Open to ALL eligible high school students in Charlotte that: 

  • Will be 16 on or before April 15, 2026 
  • Have a current Social Security Number 
  • Are eligible to work in the U.S. 

Stay tuned for Job and Career Readiness Training dates this fall! 


Career Exposure Events

Students at a career exposure event listening to a professional talk about their company.

Throughout the year, youth programs connects students to different job shadowing and career exposure events. Stay tuned for more information!

 

Youth Engagement 

Charlotte youth sitting and smiling at camera and talking amongst each other.

The City of Charlotte offers many programs to help meet youth where they are and empower them to reach their full potential.  

These programs and activities are designed to uplift and support youth in their personal growth, education, and career aspirations. 

 

CROWN Events

CROWN Event showing plates of food

CROWN (Connecting Resources and Opportunities with the Next) is designed to bridge the gap for youth by connecting them with the resources, skills, and opportunities they need to thrive. Through custom programs, skill-building workshops, and career exploration, CROWN connects young people with the tools they need to succeed in education and beyond.  

Stay tuned for the next CROWN event, and check out photos and videos from past events!


Video Transcript Cooking Up Careers

0:00

[Music]

0:03

so today we are doing a career exposure

0:07

opportunity with youth ages 13 to 15

0:10

here in Southside homes we're doing

0:13

culinary arts we have found between

0:16

being a private Chef a kitchen manager a

0:18

sue Chef a food truck owner they can

0:21

make up to $100,000 so we want to expose

0:24

them to

0:28

that a lot of kids they just don't know

0:32

the different opportunities that may be

0:33

out there you know to know that you know

0:36

an interest in cooking could actually

0:38

lead to a career in the culinary arts

0:41

and just really give them some hands-on

0:43

experience with what it's all about food

0:45

safety how to store food properly but

0:47

the fun part is they get to actually get

0:49

into the kitchen and create their own

0:51

pizza and just kind of see what that

0:53

process is all

0:56

about

Brand U

BRAND U equip teens with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to develop their personal brand and present themselves professionally for career readiness and character development.  

By the end of the various sessions, participants will be able to create a resume, market their strengths, build a professional online presence, and confidently showcase their brand to potential employers or in community settings. This program is designed for youth at different stages of life and is not specific to a particular career path or industry.

Youth Civic Engagement

Generation Nation: Charlotte Mecklenburg Youth Council 

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Youth Council (CMYC) is the official student advisory council for City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The program is managed in partnership with GenerationNation, a Charlotte-based nonprofit with strong experience in K-12 education and youth civic leadership. CMYC further positions Charlotte as an innovative, inclusive, inspiring, and welcoming city that is focused on the future. 

Through the CMYC partnership, diverse Charlotte youth: 

  • Positively interact with and advise community leaders; 
  • Gain understanding about the city’s successes, challenges, and opportunities for civic problem-solving in the City and across local governments and organizations; 
  • Join a growing network of young civic leaders who are working to make Charlotte America’s Queen City, opening her arms to a diverse and inclusive community of residents, businesses, and visitors alike; a safe family-oriented city where people work together to help everyone thrive. 

You can join any time during the year. 


Youth Civic Engagement Summit 

The Youth Civic Engagement Summit is an event that empowers high school students for active civic engagement and community contribution.  The summit focuses on exploring civic engagement, envisioning Charlotte's future, participating in volunteer projects, and fostering both personal and civic growth. 

CROWN Youth Civic Engagement Summit Graphic information is below

The 2024 Youth Civic Engagement Summit empowered 47 high school students from five schools to become active community leaders. In collaboration with the Upward Bound Program, which supports students from low-income families, the summit at UNC Charlotte provided a platform for engaging discussions on civic engagement and community transformation. A highlight of the event was a service project where students filled 100 care bags for The Relatives, an organization that aids youth and families in crisis. The summit showcased the power of youth voices, underscoring that, with the right tools and support, young people can drive meaningful change in their communities. 

Youth and Safety

Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department: Community Engagement 

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department is actively involved in the quality of life in the community. 

Programs include COPS & Kids, Youth Diversion Program, REACH OUT, Right Moves for Youth, the Envision Academy, and much more. Visit CMPD’s Community Programs page to learn more about how to get involved. 

Community Relations: Youth Engagement

The City of Charlotte’s Community Relations team works hard to engage the youth throughout Charlotte-Mecklenburg by implementing new programs that focus on leadership, communication skills and relationship building. Learn more about programming, including peer mediation and conflict resolution training. 

 

Alternatives to Violence 

Alternatives to Violence (ATV) works to stop shootings and killings in the Beatties Ford/LaSalle area using a public health model with three primary strategies: 

  • Detecting and interrupting conflicts. 
  • Identifying and treating individuals at high risk of involvement in violence. 
  • Changing social norms that exacerbate violence in the community. 

ATV team members are trusted messengers who are based in the community. These trained violence interrupters and outreach workers prevent shootings by identifying and mediating potentially violent conflicts in the community and following up to ensure the conflict does not reignite. ATV outreach workers engage high-risk individuals, talk to them about the costs of violence, and assist them in accessing services and support, including employment. The team works within the community to communicate that violence should not be viewed as usual but as a behavior that can be changed. 

 

Video Transcript Alternative to Violence

0:00

The city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County  are joining a rising national movement  

0:04

to stop violence before it happens and  empowering the community with quick,  

0:09

effective techniques to resolve conflict.  Alternatives to Violence, better known as  

0:14

ATV, addresses violent crime  as a public health crisis.  

0:18

A trusted network of community advocates that  detects and interrupts conflicts, identifies  

0:24

and treats high risk individuals and deters  violent behavior through community engagement.  

0:31

Developed by the nonprofit organization, Cure  Violence global, this model has lowered crime  

0:36

rates in several U.S. cities and in countries  across the globe. in Charlotte, work begins  

0:42

atBeatties Ford Road and Lasalle Street. A hotspot  for violence where the Alternatives to Violence  

0:48

team is building relationships and  trust. Learn more at cltgov.me/ATV

 

SAFE Charlotte 

The SAFE Charlotte Grant Program, a key initiative from the SAFE Charlotte Plan, allocates grant dollars to Charlotte-based nonprofits to address community violence and promote safety. The program focuses on fostering collaboration among local organizations to create a stable, supportive environment that addresses the root causes of violence while advancing economic mobility. These grants target individuals and families below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). 

The program’s funding supports nonprofits working within four key focus areas: 

  • Youth Services: Targeting individuals aged 13 to 19, providing recreational activities and counseling. 
  • Child Care Services: Supporting children under age 13, with programs such as parenting skills classes and early childhood education. 
  • Employment Training: Offering workforce development programs like resume building, job training, and skills development. 
  • Mental Health & Trauma-Informed Care: Providing mental health support, including counseling, case management, and trauma recovery services. 

Each participating organization receives up to $430,000 in grant funds over two years, which includes $30,000 for the Capacity Building phase. This phase equips organizations with the tools and training needed for federal fund usage, alongside planning and collaboration to ensure effective service delivery.  

The grant recipients have included: 

  • 2022: United Way of Greater Charlotte 
  • 2023: Care Ring, Inc., MeckEd, Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte 
  • 2024: Center for Prevention Services, Latin American Coalition, ourBridge Inc. 

The program fosters collaboration to tackle violence and create stronger, safer communities while providing vital services to those most in need. It. By providing these resources, the SAFE Charlotte Grant aims to reduce violence, strengthen community ties, and promote long-term social and economic progress. 

 

Community Violence Data Dashboard

The dashboard is intended to introduce several indicators of community violence including homicides and violent crimes. In the future, this dashboard will include other key indicators of crime including youth violence, intimate partner violence, emergency department visitations and other measures.

 

Corridors of Opportunity

Corridors are vital to the health of Charlotte’s communities, serving as links that connect people to the resources and businesses they need to live and thrive. With a $38.5 million investment, the City of Charlotte is renewing its commitment to six key corridors.


Hospital Based Violence Intervention

The city has partner with Atrium Health to launch an evidence-based hospital-based violence intervention program that will work with victims of violence who require medical assistance from Atrium. 

Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program 

As for the Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program, we are continuing our partnership with Atrium Health. The FY 2024 budget allocated $250,000 from the city, matched by $250,000 from Atrium Health, to continue funding this program. The initiative pairs victims of violent crime with case managers and provides wraparound services aimed at reducing the likelihood of them becoming future victims or perpetrators of violence. In the coming year, Atrium Health will take the lead in enhancing internal infrastructure and support for the program, while also strengthening the connection between ATV and the hospital-based violence intervention program.-based intervention services. 

SAFE Charlotte Grants

As a part of the SAFE Charlotte report recommendations, the city has partner with United Way to deploy grants to Charlotte-based grassroots organizations to address violence. 

Partnership Opportunities

The work we do with young people in Charlotte could not be complete without support from our different partners. Whether your organization wants to help build student potential and life skills or you want to offer a paid summer work experience, we have many ways to get engaged in our work. 

Below are some of the ways your business or organization can get involved: 

  • Partner on community-based beautification projects like gardening or park clean ups that allow youth to give back to their neighborhoods while learning new skills. Through these projects, youth can develop a sense of pride in their community while gaining practical skills in environmental stewardship, teamwork and project management that can benefit their future careers. 

  • Become a Host Employer, providing paid work-based learning experiences for youth over six weeks in the summer. This experience introduces youth to the world of work, builds social capital, creates career clarity, and promotes upward economic mobility.

  • Sponsor a nonprofit work experience for youth through work-based learning opportunities with local 501(c)(3) organizations. Your contribution can offset the costs to these nonprofit organizations, allowing them to provide work and mentorship to youth over six weeks in the summer.

  • Share your expertise as a subject matter expert for the Mayor’s Youth Employment Program. Through interactions with professionals in various career fields, youth can learn firsthand the work you do and the journey to get there.

  • Organize an Industry Day, an engaging site visit to your office where youth can experience an industry firsthand and interact professionals in the field. Industry Days build social capital through networking, provide career clarity, and inspire youth to continue seeking opportunities and career paths they may not have been aware of.