Attorney General Maura Healey during an earlier appearance at WHAV. (WHAV News photograph.)
A number of local and regional organizations are receiving grants to pay for summer jobs for young people that are focused on promoting health and wellness.
Attorney General Maura Healey said Tuesday her office is awarding more than $262,000 in grant money to 70 organizations across the state. Among them are Boys and Girls Club of Greater Haverhill, Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence, Beyond Soccer in Lawrence, Greater Lawrence Community Boating, Groundwork Lawrence and Essex County Sheriff’s Department.
“For eight years, we’ve worked closely with inspiring organizations in every corner of the state to create safe, positive summer experiences for young people,” said Healey. “These summer jobs provide Massachusetts teens with invaluable opportunities to challenge themselves, gain new skills and make a difference in their own communities by promoting healthy living.”
The Healthy Summer Youth Jobs Grant Program, which started in 2015, is paid with fair labor-related settlement money. It “enables teens and young people to have a direct impact in their communities by working in jobs that promote good nutrition, healthy living and professional development.”
Examples of jobs paid through grants include building and maintaining a community garden or urban farm, addressing food security and wellness needs of low-income communities, providing educational content on the environment and local natural resources and instructing youth on recreational and wellness activities.