Many Worksite Partners have existing relationships with teens in the community that they would like to potentially continue through the YES Summer Jobs Program. You may have even requested specific teens for your positions as you filled out your Job Description(s).
How you speak about this opportunity to these teens is incredibly important, in order to reduce confusion and set us up for a successful partnership. As stated in our job description, teens requested by you will still need to qualify for one of our summer funds, go through all of the application steps on time, express interest in the placement during their interview, and have a compatible schedule. They may also still be placed on a waitlist depending on their match priority level and our funding capacity, and we never guarantee a placement to teens or sites. Requesting a teen also does not mean we will do direct recruitment of that teen to apply to our program-- you should communicate your opportunity in the following way:
"Our organization has filled out paperwork to partner with the YES Summer Jobs Program as a summer worksite, and I think you could be a great fit for the role. You'll need to follow their application process (feel free to direct them to http://yesithaca.org/apply) and request us as one of your worksite choices to get the best chance of being matched here."
Please refrain from saying anything resembling the following:
"You can work here if YES pays for it"
"Apply to YES and you will definitely get to work here"
"I'm happy to hire you through the YES program"
"You're hired! Now apply to YES to get your money"
"I don't care about your three week vacation-- you can still work with me if you apply with YES"
These statements create confusion about the nature of our partnership, our matching process, and create a false sense of certainty for the teens that undermines our work and often leads to disappointment. Okaying lengthy vacations or schedule conflicts in advance of a teen being matched to the program is also inappropriate because we prioritize teens who can commit to the full six week experience, and routinely waitlist teens with 2+ weeks of vacation during the core Summer Job Program time period.
Assuming you request a teen, and they follow all steps, are eligible to be matched, and request you as well, we are happy to make these connections happen whenever possible. We love these win-win-win situations, but due to the size and complexity of our program, we never guarantee or promise a specific match.
