On July 18, two representatives from the Attorney General’s Office, Yarlennys Villaman, Outreach Coordinator of the Community Engagement Division, and Carolina Almonte, Legal Analyst of the Civil Rights Division, came to REACH and gave an interactive presentation on youth workers’ rights. The presentation was for the PAVE Peer Leaders, a student club at Waltham High School. Villaman and Almonte explored topics such as the role of the Attorney General’s Office, how long youth are legally allowed to work at certain ages, prohibited tasks for youth workers, and protected classes of people. The teens were actively engaged throughout the process, answering questions and participating in a lively trivia game at the end of the workshop. Not only was the presentation informative, but it helped the youth reflect on their future career goals and how they will work to create a just and equitable society.
This presentation took place as part of the Healthy Summer Youth Jobs grant. Over the years, the PAVE Peer Leaders have been receiving funding from the Attorney General’s Office through the Healthy Summer Youth Jobs grant. This funding allows REACH to provide a stipend to the Peer Leaders for their intensive summer training, which happened earlier in the summer. The presentation by Villaman and Almonte helped further empower the teens as they continue in their current and future jobs.
