Benefits of summer jobs include better habits, grades

By BROOKE KANSIER
Capital News Service
LANSING – A summer job might be a great way to put some money in teens’ pockets, but a recent study shows that part-time jobs offer them much more than a paycheck. In addition to earnings, students participating in Summer Youth Employment Programs (SYEP) across the country have better grade point averages, showed more responsibility in social and sexual behaviors and had better attendance records than those who didn’t, according to the study by the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts. SYEP is a federal program created in 1979 that provides jobs, including jobs for Michigan residents ages 16 to 24, especially low-income, at-risk teens, who tend to benefit the most, according to the study of SYEP programs in New York. Lisa Anderson, the youth services coordinator for Networks Northwest Michigan WORKS!, said her organization primarily assists struggling, economically disadvantaged youth. “That’s who we’re supposed to serve – the hardest to serve,” she said.