Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson kicked off this year’s Dallas Works program on Tuesday.
Dallas Works is a summer jobs program for people ages 15-24. It was launched in 2020 as part of the mayor’s Summer of Safety campaign.
“I’m proud to announce that, as part of our Summer of Safety for this year, we’re officially kicking off our fourth year of Dallas Works,” Johnson said during a press conference on February 28 at City Hall attended by The Dallas Express.
The program offers Dallas youth the opportunity to build job skills, receive employment opportunities, and, of course, earn money during the summer.
Those who wish to participate in Dallas Works can apply at DallasSummerJobs.org.
“We started Dallas Works back in early 2020 with a vision of providing safety and opportunity for our young people in the city,” the mayor explained. “The goal was to take what was then a very exclusive program, the Mayor’s Intern Fellows Program, and transform it into an opportunity to put as many of our city’s young people as possible to work over the summer months.”
Johnson added that the job opportunities he had when he was young provided him with goals and kept him “away from the criminal element that preys on our kids in these vulnerable communities.”
He encouraged all employers throughout Dallas to help “build a safer, stronger, and more vibrant city” by offering opportunities through Dallas Works.
Johnson said that last year, nearly 1,300 young Dallasites participated in the Dallas Works program. Additionally, 92% of employers who hired youth through Dallas Works last year said they intend to do so again this summer.
For this summer, the program already has 700 applicants.
Iksha Subba, a student who interned through Dallas Works with an energy company last summer, said in Tuesday’s press conference that she loved her internship and “had people helping me at each step of the process.”
She added that her main takeaway from the internship was simply the opportunity to “experience the day-to-day life of an office job, especially as an engineering major because that’s something I want to pursue in the future.”
Sonya Batts, the senior human resources manager for the City of Dallas who has coordinated Dallas Works since its inception, stressed that the program also aims to teach participants about what it means to serve one’s community. This is especially true when they choose to intern with the City, according to Batts.
“One of the things that we really strive for is to help our students understand what public service is all about,” she said. “One of the things that we … embed into the student’s mind is that public service is all about serving those in the Dallas community.”
“Our goal is to bring our students to the City of Dallas, give them exposure to public service, and then … help them to make decisions for their future,” she added.
More information on the Dallas Works program can be found here.