San Rafael, CA – For the second consecutive year, the County of Marin’s Career Explorer Youth Program is going all virtual. Recruitment has just opened for popular vocational skills training opportunity for those between ages 16 and 22 who are curious about public service careers.
Noah Block, a college senior from San Anselmo, was voted by his peers as the Career Explorers 2020 Class recipient of the Dan Daniels Spirit of Service Award following his experience conducting restorative justice trainings for young people. The application forms are now online in
English and
Spanish for the program, which starts June 14 and ends August 6. The selected applicants
will earn $14 per hour, and the internships may be extended beyond the eight-week summer period. The deadline to apply is May 31.
As usual, the program offers internships with a strong motivation of fostering equity and fair opportunity for young people who might not otherwise consider a career in government. A key objective of the program is to provide opportunities to youths who reside in communities and/or are exposed to circumstances that traditionally present barriers to employment. That may include personal experiences with the juvenile justice system, family members with experience in either the juvenile or adult justice systems, or residence in neighborhoods often impacted by crime.
Elements of previous experiences will remain in place, like career exploration with appearances from guest speakers. Placements at various County departments may also be available at some point depending on the progress of COVID-19 rates.
“Last year’s program offered youths the ability to engage at their own level,” said Luis Luciano, Senior Program Coordinator with the Marin County Probation Department. “Students could join the daily Zoom class, select assignments on Google Classroom, or participate in remote internship site placements. We will continue with that format and hope to add some in-person site placements for this program year. We launched last year’s internships with a strong desire not to lose momentum due to the pandemic. Whether it’s in-person or virtual, young people need this opportunity more than ever because of the challenges in higher education and the job market. Our County employees have learned the value of careers in public service and they are eager to help guide young people toward a possible career in government.”
One of the most valuable facets of the program is introductory employment training such as resume writing, interview preparation, public speaking, and best practices for completing job applications. The young people learn about cultural competency, bias, generational differences in communication, and conflict resolution.
Noah Block of San Anselmo was an Explorer in summer 2020. Now a graduating senior at Goucher College in Baltimore, Block organized trainings for young people to learn about restorative justice. Working with Youth Transforming Justice (formerly Marin County Youth Court), the idea behind the trainings was to end the school-to-prison pipeline experienced by some youths. Block was named the Dan Daniels Spirit of Service Award winner by his Career Explorers peers.
“I enjoyed having an opportunity to give back to my community and get paid while doing so,” said Block, a graduate of High School 1327. “I think many of us were struggling with sheltering in place and trying to make the most of it. It was a great experience.”
The program, now in its sixth year, was borne from the County’s 5 Year Business Plan, which includes the focus areas of “diversity and inclusion” and “growth and development.” Chief Probation Officer Marlon Washington said he is proud to continue the department’s support of this innovative program with the goal of developing and recruiting youths from our community into county employment. The Career Explorer program creates a diverse, skilled, and local candidate pool for employment opportunities in a manner that promotes growth and development.
The Probation Department collaborates with the County’s Department of Human Resources and other County of Marin departments to offer the program. Probation uses funds from a state grant to cover the costs of stipends, work uniforms, food, transportation and supervision for the interns. Departments that employ the interns also contribute to the cost of the program.
To learn more about the program or to obtain a printed application, contact Senior Program Coordinator Luis Luciano.