Success Stories for Northwest Michigan
UpSkills Class Helped Adults Build Skills for College & Jobs (a recap)
An UpSkills class at Northwest Michigan WORKS! in Traverse city helped adult learners improve their skills in math, reading, language arts and computers.
Work Experience Program of Northwest Michigan Works! gave young adults a chance to earn money and build job skills while working at the Wexford County DHS office. Watch the video to find out how the program, which was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, helped the workers and DHS.
UpSkills Class offered by Northwest Michigan Works! helps adult students overcome barriers. The class, which is funded by ARRA, helps participants improve their workplace skills.
Organizations Honored for their participation with the "Earn & Learn" Summer Youth Program
Many more videos document the success of the "Earn Learn" Summer Youth Program, which was greatly expanded by the funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Click on images to view videos.
video | Former "Earn & Learn" Crew Leader Tim Largent was a crew leader with the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Program. On the last day of the program Largent got a new job at a Traverse City car dealership. |
video | New Boy Scout Camp Built by Earn & Learn Workers Workers with the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Program helped with a variety of projects at the Camp Kellogg Boy Scout Camp near Kalkaska. Watch the video to see some of the work that was done and how it helped the Boy Scouts. |
video | Kids Creek Banks Restored by Earn & Learn Workers An ongoing effort to restore the banks of Kids Creek in Traverse City got a boost from the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Program. See how Earn and Learn Workers helped the Grand Traverse Conservation District with the project. |
video | Bike Path Clean-Up in Emmet County and Perfect Attendance for an "Earn & Learn" Worker A youth in the summer "Earn & Learn" program had perfect attendance as he and his co-workers helped on many projects this summer. |
video | Village of Elberta in Benzie County Gets a Hand with Outdoor Maintenance An "Earn & Learn" work crew helped out the Elberta community by doing a variety of tasks including painting, lawn edging and the spreading of wood chips. |
video | Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Helped by Removal of Invasive Species Workers with the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Program helped remove an invasive plant species called phragmites at the national park. See the work the crew did and how it helped the National Park Service. |
video | Manistee River Protected by Conservation District The Kalkaska Conservation District got some help with a project on the Manistee River from the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Program. See the work to help protect the river. |
video | Old Mission Elementary School Gets Lots of Help Crews from the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Program worked on a number of projects at the school on Old Mission Peninsula. |
video | Workers Recognized for Conservancy Work and Other Projects in Northwest Michigan Workers with the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Program received special recognition for their work for the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy and on other projects. |
video | Awards Presented to Young adults involved with the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Program were given special awards for their efforts at job sites around northern Michigan. Learn more about the awards and what the workers thought about the recognition. |
video | Workers Help Protect Benzie County's Crystal Lake The Crystal Lake & Watershed Association conducted a shoreline condition survey with help from the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Program. Earn and Learn workers also helped with a zebra mussel survey and pulled up 1000 garbage bags of garlic mustard. |
video | Mancelona School and Other Projects Mancelona Public Schools got some help from the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Program after vandals damaged two of the districts schools. The community has also benefited from the Earn and Learn Program in other ways. Watch the video to see the work being done in Mancelona. |
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video | Old Mission Peninsula Historic Home Site The effort to preserve the Dougherty Historic Home Site got a boost from the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Program. The house was built in 1842 and is believed to be the oldest post and beam home north of Grand Rapids in the Lower Peninsula. Cory Williams is excited to have a job while crew member, Billy Watkins was inspired to write a song about the historical site. Watch the videos to see the work the Earn and Learn workers have been doing. |
video | Charlevoix County Recognizes the Work of the Summer Youth "Earn & Learn" Program Click on the image to view the Charlevoix County Web site which includes articles and photographs. |
video | Work on Wexford County Seasonal Roads Teaches Workers How to Deal With Challenges Clearing brush along a seasonal road in Wexford County presented some challenges to workers with the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Program. See what the workers had to deal with and what they learned from the experience. |
video | Conservancy Projects Teach Workers About The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy completed projects at several of its nature preserves and natural areas with help from the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Program. The Conservancy projects helped the workers learn about land stewardship. |
video | Updates at Emmet County's Camp Pet-O-Se-Ga The building of new trails, gazebos, benches, and decking also helped build the confidence in one of the youth workers at the site. |
video | Bus and Computer Maintenance at Lake City Schools The Lake City School District is getting summer help through the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Program. See what the workers are doing and how the experience will help them in the future. |
video | Mt. Holiday Readies for Ski Season The Mt. Holiday, a non-profit ski and recreation area near Traverse City, is ahead of schedule in preparing for the winter ski season with help from a Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Crew. |
video | Improvements at Blair Township Park A Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Crew put down new sod around the playground at the Blair Township Park in Grand Traverse County. |
video | Kalkaska Gets a New Boardwalk Through Wetlands and an Improved Horseshow Arena Thanks to a Summer Youth Crew of the Michigan WORKS! Earn & Learn Program, the community of Kalkaska can enjoy a new wetland boardwalk, improved horseshow arena and other benefits. |
video | Camp Daggett Gets Help From Summer Youth, Young Mom Gets Income to Help Her Children Computer experience and an income to help her three young children make this job important for this Summer Earn & Learn Program participant. |
video | Why College? Job-Seekers Found Out How College What college has to offer and how it can help people choose a career path was discussed at a Why College? workshop at the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Service Center in Manistee. |
video | Hard-Working Teen Helps Make Improvements at Charlevoix Middle School The tasks vary from painting lockers to mowing the football field. Yet this Earn & Learn Summer Youth worker is also getting his license and furthering his education through this Michigan WORKS! program. |
video | East Jordan Chamber of Commerce Gets Summer Employee, Helps to Instill Business Skills While working on her business degree, this youth has summer employment and is building her resumé for future employment. |
video | 100 Summer Workers Gain Life-Saving Skills More than 100 young adults from the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Program received First Aid and CPR training on the same day. |
video | Workers at Camp Greilick Boy Scout Camp Two workers help themselves and others through the Michigan Works! Earn & Learn program. |
video | Teens Thankful for Earn & Learn Jobs at 19-year old Shalene Joslin is thankful for the summer job she has making paper and cards at Paperworks Studio in Traverse City. She knows jobs are hard to find right now because both her parents are out of work. |
video | Emmet County's BlissFest Helps Local Economy A Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth crew helped prepare for Blissfest near Cross Village in Emmet County. The annual folk music festival helps the local economy by attracting about five-thousand visitors to the area. |
video | New Trails at the Center Road Natural Area in Peninsula Township A Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn & Learn Summer Youth crew built new trails after more than ten years of work by local residents who wanted a park in the southern part of the Township. Crew members, park supporters and a representative from the G.T. Regional Land Conservancy talk about the trail work. |
video | Computer Maintenance Workers in the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn & Learn Summer Youth Program are adding software and repairing computers with expired warranties at Bear Lake, Benzie Central, Brethren, Frankfort and Manistee Schools. |
video | Job Search Tips for Summer Youth Work Crews The Human Resources Manager at Crystal Mountain Resort met with Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth crew members to give them some tips for finding a job after they finish the summer program. An Earn and Learn crew has been working on a variety of jobs at the Michigan Legacy Art Park which is located on property at the resort. |
video | Green Careers Forum at Michigan Energy Fair A Green Careers Forum was part of the Michigan Energy Fair held at the Manistee County Fairgrounds. The forum gave people a chance to learn about green jobs and find out what skills they might need to get one of those jobs. Watch the video to see what Career Forum and Energy Fair organizers had to say about the event. |
video | Ben Jeffs Muskegon River Park in Missaukee County Gets a Facelift Michael Shepherd and the other Earn and Learn crew members hope the work they're doing on the Ben Jeffs Muskegon River Park in Missaukee County will encourage more people to stop in and enjoy the park's beauty. They've been busy painting the park's pavilion, sealing and setting up picnic tables, putting in fire rings and resetting curb stops in the parking lot. |
video | Youth Work Crews Help Prepare for the Michigan Energy Fair in Manistee County Two crews from the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Program worked at the Manistee County Fairgrounds to get it ready for the Michigan Energy Fair. Watch the video to see the work they were doing and to find out how its helping the volunteers who usually have to do the work at the fairgrounds. |
 video | Woman's Career Path Guided by Summer Youth Job Programs Christy Roman is the Executive Director of the Antrim County Conservation District. She decided to pursue a career in recreation management and conservation after working in a Michigan Summer Youth Job Program after graduating from high school. This summer she is supervising two young people involved in the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn And Learn Summer Youth Program. Roman talks about why she thinks the program is important. |
video | Chainsaw Safety Supervisors and Crew Leaders with the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Program spent a day getting chainsaw safety training, a valuable work skill. Watch the video and hear what they had to say about the training. |
video | CPR and First Aid Training Junior crew leaders from the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Program went through CPR and first aid training. See what the crew leaders and the project manager have to say about how this and other training will help the young people this summer and at other jobs in the future. |
video | Orientation Session for Summer Work Projects More than 100 young people kicked off the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn And Learn Summer Youth Program at an orientation session in Traverse City. They will be part of 15 roving crews working at job sites in ten northern Michigan counties. Watch the video to find our more about the orientation. |
