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Kids Hope Alliance Boot Camp helps hundreds of students prepare for summer jobs

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Hundreds of local students are ready to make a difference this summer.

These students have been placed into jobs through a program between the Kids Hope Alliance and the Mayor’s Youth At Work Partnership.

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Action News Jax caught up with students going through a boot camp at A Philip Randolph Career Academies in Moncrieff and spoke with students about the skills they’re learning to prepare for their future.

18-year-old Jamari Ingram recently graduated from Raines High School.

This summer he’ll start his internship at the Kids Hope Alliance and on Wednesday he learned how to prepare for it.

“Learned  what to do and what not to do in a job place, in a job setting,” said Ingram.

It’s an opportunity Ingram got through the Mayor’s Youth at Work Partnership where more than 700 students have been placed in summer jobs throughout the city.

The program is aimed at getting kids off the street and into a career by giving them the skills they need for their future.

“It gives them hope. You know, where they come from, it might not be easy but the work pays off; hard work pays off,” said Ingram.

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Some students are learning how to dress for success and they’re taking professional photos they can use with their resumes.

Brianna Toawicha is another intern with the Kids Hope Alliance who says the program helps give students a head start on their career path.

“When they do get into the workforce they can put on their resume that they have experience and that experience is going to prepare them for what they actually have to do in the real world,” said Toawicha.

Ingram says he’ll take what he learns from the Kids Hope Alliance Boot Camp and not only apply it to his internship, but his college education too.

“Going for business management, you know, and I felt like this would be a great opportunity for me to start my career off,” he said.

On Thursday, the boot camp will take place Atlantic Coast High School.