GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — Part of Greensboro Police Chief Brian James’ initiative to help fight crime in the city includes finding jobs for teens.
They’ve been holding job fairs to match teens with local employers who are hiring.
Jeremiah Fouse is one of the more than 120 teenagers hired as part Greensboro Police Department’s summer jobs program. He and his mom Kenyatta Davis said they were surprised how easy the process was.
Fouse wants to be an entrepreneur.
While his mom has always pushed him to be self-sufficient, learning job skills while making money is inching him closer to a brighter future.
“I know it’s going to be very beneficial. This is something I say was really needed and I’m glad my son is getting the opportunity to experience it,” Davis said.
She has prided herself on always being straight forward with her kids.
“The world isn’t going to sugarcoat it. They’re not going to baby my baby,” she said.
She understands grooming her kids for the real world means something different for moms raising black children—especially with the city’s rising crime amongst teens.
“Not to live in fear, but make sure he’s aware of life,” she said.
That’s why she encouraged her 17-year-old son, Jeremiah, to consider GPD’S job-matching program.
He earned a job at a nearby packaging warehouse
“I package so really just pack up orders that were already put in,” Fouse explained.
A job to give him the skills to do what he really wants.
“Own my own business, be an entrepreneur and get my barber’s license too,” Fouse said.
It’s a dream he realized after watching his single mother string together a business of her own while raising him and his 8-year-old sister.
Their journey made even tougher after Fouse’s maternal grandfather passed away.
“Prior to COVID, my father had passed unexpectedly, and he played a major role in our lives,” Davis said.
A rock in their family dynamic gone.
Now, Davis and Fouse are counting on the police department’s program to keep them heading in the right direction and paving the way for a successful future.
“You’re actually doing something preventative to help the youth,” Davis said.
Fouse is encouraging people his age to make money the right way.
He said his friends started reaching out to him asking how they could get a job.
GPD has been able to match more than 120 teens with jobs, but there are still plenty of openings.
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