In the summer of 2023, Rural Opportunity Institute (ROI) piloted an innovative new high school internship program, the Young Civic Leaders (YCL) initiative, in collaboration with the Town of Tarboro, North Carolina. Born out of the community’s recognition of a significant gap in youth employment opportunities, this pilot program was designed to provide local high school students with meaningful professional experiences that contributed to their personal development and job skills. The program also gave them an opportunity to give back to the Tarboro community.

Edgecombe County, North Carolina experiences systemic and entrenched economic challenges, largely caused by underfunded systems that fail to effectively serve residents. The median family income hovers just over $40,000, and 74% of students are eligible for free and reduced lunch. Few opportunities for summer jobs exist, despite the fact that youth want opportunities to improve their skills, earn money, and build their resumes. As one intern highlighted, without the YCL initiative, they would be “just chillin’, playin’ football,” emphasizing the absence of existing summer employment opportunities. Nevertheless, the community has deep wells of desire and capacity to create opportunities for economic mobility and wealth-building. The YCL initiative was a product of community- led efforts to mobilize those resources to improve the town’s systems.

The internship pilot program was designed by ROI in consultation with community leaders and the Town of Tarboro. Ultimately, three summer interns were hired into the Town of Tarboro’s Parks and Recreation department. These interns earned $10.50 per hour and worked 20-25 hours per week, completing significant projects for the town over their three- month internship. In addition to practical work experience, interns participated in a Career Readiness Certification training and a comprehensive Trauma and Resilience 101 Training. Overall, feedback from the program was positive: 100% of interns would recommend the program to a peer, 100% of parents saw growth in their child from the internship, and 100% of interns’ supervisors would hire an intern again next year. In the words of one intern, “it was a great experience.”