Youth Ready Chicago Participants Gain Professional Skills, Friendship Working on Chicago’s Lakefront

Carissa Hudson’s favorite thing about her part-time summer experience at Heartland Café’s “Stand in the Sand” – a popular food booth on Chicago’s lakefront in the East Rogers Park neighborhood – was the rare days she was able to work alongside fellow summer employee Renee Braggs.

The two interns have a lot in common. They are both hard workers who like to laugh. They celebrate their birthdays just 10 days apart. And they agree wholeheartedly about what they liked least about their summer experience. It wasn’t the heat or the sand in their shoes. It was, most definitely, “the slow days!” exclaimed Carissa, who worked for Heartland Café the summer before her freshman year of high school, and Renee, who was about to begin her junior year.

When it rained and the beachfront was empty, Renee and Carissa were occasionally asked to close the stand early. “I kind of miss out on my check!” Renee explained.

An aspiring pediatrician or psychologist, Renee applied to Youth Ready Chicago because she felt “it would give me something to do over the summer. Plus my mom wasn’t going to buy me everything so I had to buy it myself.”

There were many things the interns enjoyed about their work at the stand, which offers vegetarian dishes, cool treats, snacks and beverages. Given quite a bit of responsibility, they set up the food for the day, served customers, worked the cash register and helped take down the stand in the evening. Working alternating weekdays, each intern typically ran the booth alone until a manager arrived to help her close and transfer the day’s earnings to the restaurant’s main location just a few blocks away.

Carissa and Renee also gained skills that will come in handy whatever they choose to do in the future. “I learned patience,” said Renee, who discovered that some customers get a little worked up when grilling her about why they don’t carry a particular item.

For Carissa, who dreams of becoming a lawyer, Heartland Café’s “Stand in the Sand” was her first job. “It’s fun. It’s something to do,” she said.

Evening manager Jim Schweitzer is a teacher who took a break from teaching summer school to mentor his young colleagues at the stand. One might think it would be difficult to work with others in such a tiny space, but the bond formed among those who work at the stand was evident in the laughter and chatter heard in between customers.

Carissa’s and Renee’s jobs were made possible through Rogers Park YES (Youth Employment Strategies), a partnership program to bring business groups and community groups together to help prepare and put youth in Rogers Park to work over the summer. The program was initiated by Illinois State Representative Harry Osterman, State Senator Carol Ronen and Commissioner Larry Suffredin.

“Rogers Park YES really brings the community closer together,” Jim said. “A lot of times there aren’t a lot of opportunities for 16-year-olds. This program is a step forward.”

Renee credits Rogers Park YES and her summer internship with teaching her how to get opportunities, create a resume and complete program requirements. While the interns gained a lot from their “summer at the beach,” their adult colleagues were equally inspired.

“Working with young people enlightens me,” Jim added. “We talk and I see their frame of thought. They have a different spin on things, I’ll tell you that!” he joked.

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