Newtown Youth Services Job Bank Offers Opportunities

By Steve Bonanno

While Newtown’s out-for-the-summer students may be looking for work and Newtown residents may have odd jobs in need of being done, Newtown Youth & Family Services has a program in place that solves both needs.

This program is called the Job Bank, and it finds work for Newtown residents between the ages of 13 and 18. To be notified of work, residents must sign up by going to www.newtownyouthandfamilyservices.org. Once signed up, NYFS will notify the student of available jobs in town from which they can choose.

Newtown residents can call the Job Bank at 203-270-4335 to make jobs available for youth. Once a youth member decides on a job he or she would like to do, the Job Bank notifies the patron.

“We are the matchmakers between the youth members and the patrons,” said Newtown Youth & Family Services Human Resources Manager Sheila Russo.

Some of the more common jobs that youth members may be able to find include yard work, tutoring, babysitting, and computer repair. Once the job is completed the patron pays the youth member a predetermined amount.

“The Job Bank program has been around since 2007 when Newtown Youth Services merged with Newtown Family Counseling Center,” said Ms Russo.

According to Ms Russo, today there are more than 120 youth members in the program and a yearly average of 50 to 100 jobs.

“I think the Job Bank has helped the community because it gives patrons easy access to kids looking for work,” said Ms Russo, “and it helps kids find jobs.”