Manitoba boosts funding for youth summer job program

Young Manitobans looking for summer jobs will have a bit of a boost thanks to new funding for the Urban/Hometown Green Team program from the provincial government.

The province announced Thursday that almost $10 million will be pumped into the program’s grants, which go to non-profit organizations, education authorities, municipal governments and northern community councils for hiring summer workers between the ages of 15 and 29.

Municipal affairs minister Andrew Smith said the plan is for 2,500 youth to work on 744 projects across the province between May and September of this year, with the goal of improving neighbourhoods, promoting community involvement, and developing young leaders.

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“Youth employed by the program gain valuable experience that will help them develop into young leaders in the communities where they work,” Smith said.

Smith said the projects also stimulate local economies and will help communities recover from the negative economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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