Kaidie Morris, an 18-year-old Thompson student who's back home for the summer from the University of Guelph in Ontario, is spending her break from school working at the Service Canada Centre for Youth in the North Central Mall in Thompson.
Morris says she decided to apply for the job back in February after seeing it advertised online because she enjoyed helping others and had experience organizing and planning.
"When I was in Grade 12 I ran the prom committee and I did grad and stuff, and I really liked that, so I figured that doing this would be an expansion on things like that, and it would give me really good skills I could apply to other situations," Morris, who's taking a social work program at the University of Guelph that focuses on children, youth and family.
Morris says so far, there have been quite a few students coming into the centre looking for a job. She says at the moment employers haven't show much interest but she hopes that by getting the word out there more will want to contact the centre about finding student workers.
Anyone can take advantage of the services the centre offers, as long as they are between the ages of 13 and 30 and qualify as students. Morris says so far, most of the students who have come into the centre are between the ages of 15 and 19.
"I think most of the places hiring students have already hired, and I think the other employers are looking for older, more mature students," Morris explains. "But that being said, kids just want to work if they're not given the opportunity, how are they ever going to know what it's like?"
Morris says students have a lot to offer to employers, saying they're enthusiastic, hard working, and bring lots of fresh ideas along with them, including ones about technology.
"In Thompson there's a high school and UCN, and I'd say there are a lot of young people here. There's more of an opportunity here for them to get more advanced jobs," she says.
Morris says one of the things the Service Centre for Youth is focusing on this year is advertising that students are available for casual work - yard work or dog sitting, for example, that would last under two weeks. She says homeowners or other perspective employers can drop by the centre if they're interested.
Students can also swing by the centre if they want help with resume or cover letter writing, or if they're interested in learning about student loans and grants.
