AG HEALEY OPENS APPLICATION PERIOD FOR GRANTS FOR HEALTHY SUMMER YOUTH JOBS

AG HEALEY OPENS APPLICATION PERIOD FOR GRANTS FOR HEALTHY SUMMER YOUTH JOBS 

AG’s Healthcare Settlements Provide $300,000 in Grant Funding for 200 Summer Jobs that Promote Good Health for Youth from Communities Across the State

BOSTON – Aimed at providing young people in underserved communities with opportunities for employment that will impact public health, wellness and disease prevention, Attorney General Maura Healey has opened the application period for grant funding for an estimated 200 summer jobs across Massachusetts.

The Healthy Summer Youth Jobs Grant Program is funded with $300,000 recovered by settlements the AG’s Office reached with pharmaceutical companies Johnson & Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline. Beyond increasing youth employment, the grants will focus on promoting physical wellness and disease prevention among the state’s young people.

“We want to give young people in Massachusetts a great opportunity to work in their communities this summer and promote healthy living and wellness in their neighborhoods,” said AG Healey. “This grant program is designed to directly benefit underserved communities by providing interactive and healthy jobs and increasing awareness of public health and disease prevention across the state.”

Between 2000 and 2014, the national teen employment rate dropped from 45 percent to 30 percent, according to the US Department of Labor. Additionally, research has shown that health and wellness factors are strongly tied to income levels and that children from lower-income homes are more likely to be overweight and in poorer health than those from higher-income homes.

Examples of healthy summer youth jobs that could receive funding could include, but are not limited to:

·         Working as a coach, team leader or mentor for a pre-existing sports  or fitness activity for low-income youth

·         Working at a community health center;

·         Collaborating on a public health or health-related environmental justice project;

·         Working as a teacher or teacher’s assistant for an exercise or physical fitness class for low-income youth or seniors;

·         Activities that are directly related to health care or the management or prevention of chronic diseases for low-income youth.

The AG’s Office will issue grants to municipalities, other agencies and nonprofits within the state that serve low-income and/or at-risk youth.

Grant awards will fund youth employment from July 5, 2016 through Aug. 26, 2016. Interested applicants can visit the AG’s website, www.mass.gov/ago/grants, for more information and for application instructions. Applications must be received by 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 6, 2016.