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The BBA' s Summer Jobs Program has officially kicked off thanks to a sendoff from Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. Follow our students progress on our public service blog, Beyond the Billable, here.
Gun Legislation on the Move. For the full post, click here.
New York Times Supreme Court Correspondent Adam Liptak will keynote 2014 Annual Meeting Luncheon on September 12th. Learn More.
Students tested out the Justices’ seats during a tour of the Adams Courthouse yesterday.
The BBA Summer Jobs students continued their summer adventures with a stop at the Adams Courthouse for VIP tour and crash course on the history of the Massachusetts legal system. After touring the building and taking turns posing in the Justices’ seats, the students met with Justice Cynthia Cohen to learn more about her career path and her role as an associate justice on the Massachusetts Appeals Court.
Take a look below for more highlights from the field trip:
Barbara Berenson, a senior attorney at the Supreme Judicial Court, gave the students a tour of the building and provided an overview of the Massachusetts legal system.
Justice Cynthia Cohen spoke with the students about her role as an associate justice on the Massachusetts Appeals Court and her career path.
Unemployment rates among minorities under the age of 25 are particularly high.
Our dedicated readers may remember this recent post about inequalities in the current summer jobs market for teens. If you’re interested in learning more the unemployment among minorities under the age of 25, this recent NPR piece is a must listen. The piece highlights the long-term career implications of the lack of summer job opportunities, particularly for minority teens.
Here’s what William Spriggs, an economist from Howard University, had to say about the value of a summer job in the interview:
“It’s very important, and again it’s that network. It’s getting to know other people who work. It’s getting an employer who can vouch for you when you go to get another job. It’s having on your resume that you have that experience. And it’s understanding an industry and understanding what the opportunities are within that industry.”
This is why programs, such as the BBA Summer Jobs Program, play such a critical role in shaping the future of many of our Boston teens. Our students walk away with a network of professional contacts and skills that lay the groundwork for a successful career and future opportunities. Learn more about our program, which set a record high of employing 64 Boston teens this summer, here.
Image source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, courtesy of NPR
The BBA’s Summer Jobs Students excitedly answered participated in their first Financial Literacy Program.
Our loyal Beyond the Billable readers are well aware of the plethora of long-term benefits of offering Boston public high school students professional experience. The short-term benefit (and a major plus for the students) is, of course, the opportunity to earn a paycheck. Now that the students have already earned their first summer paycheck, they are beginning to make decisions about how to spend it. Should they buy new clothes, see a movie, or save for their first semester of college? The BBA Summer Jobs Program enrichment seminars are offering the students guidance on educated decisions about their money via the M. Ellen Carpenter Financial Literacy Program. So far, the students have learned how to create a budget, the importance of paying yourself first, how interest on credit cards work, and the difference between a debit and credit card. Over the next few weeks, the students will continue to acquire tools through additional sessions on buying a car and learning about the consequences of making poor financial decision at Bankruptcy Court.
Beyond the Billable checked in with two BBF-funded students working at the Volunteer Lawyers Project this summer to hear what they’ve learned so far. Here’s what they had to say:
“I thought the sessions were pretty good because I already have a debit card. I tell myself all of the time now that I shouldn’t go over a certain amount on my debit card because I want to save money. If I know I have enough money in my account, I’ll save my paycheck for something like school. [The volunteers] really taught me to budget.”
Liraniz Colon, a rising senior at John D. O’Bryant School of Math & Science
“In [the Using Credit and Credit Cards] seminar, I learned that you have to be really careful with your credit and how you spend your money and what company you choose. You have to choose wisely and you have to make good decisions about what you spend. You have to ask yourself do I need this or not; can I wait or can I not. You have to be very responsible.”
Mackaila Garcia, a rising senior at Charlestown High School