Bank of America Prepares Detroit Teens for Workforce Success through Paid Summer Internships

Bank of America today announced that five high school juniors and seniors from the Detroit community have been selected as Student Leaders (#BofAStudentLeaders). The program offers young people, who are engaged community citizens, an opportunity to build their workforce and leadership skills through a paid summer internship at local nonprofit organization Focus: HOPE, and participate in a Student Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C.

Early employment opportunities are a critical stepping stone for young people entering the working world. When young people can’t access early employment opportunities that build their skills, they are at risk of being left behind and not finding a meaningful job in today’s competitive workforce. With local youth unemployment rates near 30 percent, Student Leaders connects young people to summer employment that supports their long-term financial success, and in turn helps the economic progress of Detroit.

“Early employment opportunities help teens build the skills they need to establish a career and get on a path toward financial stability,” said Matt Elliott, Michigan Market President, Bank of America. “Helping youth access resources and skills that prepare them for future success is an important part of our work to address the underlying issues related to economic mobility as we work to create a thriving Detroit economy.”

All five Detroit Student Leaders will be interning at Focus: HOPE in Detroit. They are:

· Alexis Bailey of Detroit

· Dipata Das of Detroit

· Edwin Marple of Farmington Hills

· Jayant Thuluri of Northville

· Vashti Lindsey of Troy

“Focus: HOPE is excited to host the 2016 Bank of America Student Leader Program this year,” said Stephanie Johnson-Cobb, Manager, Community Involvement and Safety, Focus: HOPE, HOPE Village Initiative. “We look forward to investing in these fine young leaders and helping to build the next generation of nonprofit colleagues.”

These five young people will join the more than 200 other Student Leaders from around the country in Washington D.C. on July 10-15 for a Student Leadership Summit. As part of this week-long convening, students will discuss how to build a more diverse and inclusive society, gain a better understanding of how cross-sector collaboration creates community impact,

and become part of a network of community leaders that will support their citizenship and engagement. The students are joining a network of more than 45 student alumni from the Detroit area and an alumni cohort of more than 2,200 Student Leaders across the country.

Student Leaders is just one way Bank of America is supporting summer employment opportunities for Detroit teens. The bank is also partnering with Mayor Mike Duggan to fund paid summer internships for local teens through the Grow Detroit’s Youth Talent.

This program connects approximately 8,000 at-risk teens in Detroit with paid summer employment. Mentoring, job shadowing, teaching better money habits and other volunteer opportunities give teens valuable perspective and vision about what it means to be employed, how to manage a paycheck and the kinds of job opportunities that exist today.

Bank of America
At Bank of America, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is critical to fulfilling our core purpose of making people’s financial lives better. A commitment to growing our business responsibly is embedded in every aspect of our company, from our policies and practices to our services, products, governance and employee benefits. An important part of that commitment is forming strong partnerships across sectors, including nonprofit organizations serving community needs, bringing our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. We’re proud of our employees’ volunteer efforts, support of diversity and inclusion, and environmental and social responsibility. Across our company, we’re focused on simplifying banking and investing, advancing better money habits and making an impact in communities around the world. Learn more at www.bankofamerica.com/about and follow us on Twitter at @BofA_News.