The City of Statesboro is accepting applications for its annual Statesboro Youth Connect (SYC) summer program. The 5-week pre-professional program aims to inspire local high school students to become engaged, lifelong learners in their community. Applications are due by March 24.
“We are planning to spend five weeks this summer cultivating youth by helping them build and prepare for the future,” says Dr. LaSara Mitchell, City of Statesboro Youth Program Coordinator. “This program has so much to offer youth such as life skills, social skills, and employability skills. They will also learn financial management and much more! This work-ready program gives youth real-life work experience to ultimately prepare them for the career path of their choice.”
At the request of Statesboro’s Mayor and City Council, city staff developed and hosted the inaugural SYC class in June 2021. The goal of the program is to allow students to learn more about local government and explore possible career paths in local government while also obtaining valuable life skills that can be applied in the present and future. Since its inception four years ago, 109 high school students have completed the Youth Connect program.
The 2025 program is set to begin on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, and will provide a setting similar to an internship for high school students to gain invaluable experiences while also earning a stipend. To be eligible for the program, a student must be enrolled in high school (grades 10 through 12 by August 2025) and live in Bulloch County or be a dependent of a City of Statesboro employee. Each week, the participants will be expected to report Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and will earn a weekly stipend of $8.25 per hour. The participants are granted a one-hour lunch break each day. Lunch will not be provided.
Participants must have access to transportation to report to their assigned work location at the beginning of each day and have access to transportation to leave or be picked up at the end of each workday. Participants will be assigned to a city department or one of the program’s partner organizations, which include local non-profits and government entities.
The first few days of programming will be hosted at City Hall and feature educational presentations with guest speakers. Participants will then report to their assigned work locations for the remainder of the program. Students who participate in the program can expect to learn about the following topics: fundamentals of city government, life skills, and soft skills, as well as lessons in employability, career exploration, civic engagement, leadership, and diversity.
The deadline to apply for SYC is Friday, March 24, 2025, at 11:59 p.m.
High school students interested in learning more or applying should visit www.statesboroga.gov/youthconnect. Questions about the program can be directed to the City of Statesboro’s Youth Program Coordinator, Dr. LaSara Mitchell, at (912)-212-2378 or through email at [email protected].
Once all applications are received, a member of the city’s staff will reach out to potential participants to schedule a virtual interview.
