INDIANAPOLIS — If you're between the ages of 14 to 24, live in Indianapolis, and have nothing to do this summer, the city wants you to fill out a job application as soon as possible.
Mayor Joe Hogsett relaunched Project Indy, an initiative under the EmployIndy umbrella, at Victory Field Thursday morning.
"Project Indy is one of the best anti-violence and anti-crime programs that I think the city offers," Hogsett said.
The campaign started in 2016 and has helped more than 17,000 young people in Indianapolis find summer jobs.
"We call summer job opportunities a win-win-win," Hogsett said. "It's a win for the employee, it's a win for the employer, and it's a win for the city."
Ashley Lawson went through the Project Indy program as a 16-year-old Decatur Central High School student in 2018. She ended up working at the Indianapolis Zoo that summer.
"I felt like all of the opportunities I had seen before were in food services, and I didn't want to do anything in food services," Lawson said. "At the zoo, I did ticket sales, membership sales, and ran the Cheetah Experience. I learned to be very driven there."
Lawson now works at Franciscan Health. She said the skills she learned during her summer at the zoo still apply in her current job.
"I learned how to help people to the fullest need," Lawson said. "Look for the opportunity where you can find it, there's way more out there than you know."
If you want to learn more about Project Indy, click this link.
