Spring’s only just sprung, but parents and kids are already planning their summers. If yours are too old for lemonade stands or day care and you’re too strapped for expensive summer camps, read on for information on some tried-and-true and, I’ll wager, some new-to-you jobs and volunteer opportunities for teens and tweens.
Earn and learn
– Learn golf skills and etiquette at the Minnesota Minority Junior Golf Association caddie training program. After six four-hour training sessions on Saturdays at Columbia Golf Course in northeast Minneapolis, first-year trainees are placed at public golf courses; second-years at private courses. Kids of any age are welcome; most are 10 and up. This is a two-year commitment. Program Director Michael Hinton knows it’s tough to wake up early on Saturdays in summer, but it’s well worth it not just for the earnings ($15 a round at public courses, $18 at private, plus tips) but also for the camaraderie and the life skills. Successful participants could qualify for a full-ride Evans Scholarship to the U of M. Contact: 612-333-7309 or [email protected].
– There’s always a seasonal demand for Red Cross-certified lifeguards (ages 15 and up) and water safety instructors (16 and up) in the land of 10,000 lakes – not to mention who-knows-how-many pools and waterparks. The cost of the course varies; it’s $120-$150 in the St. Cloud area, says Katie Wayne, program director or the Central Minnesota Red Cross, but you can earn that back easily with wages ranging from minimum to $15 an hour. For example, Eden Prairie beaches offer and Bunker Beach waterpark in Coon Rapids. The Red Cross also offers “Guard Start,” a junior lifeguard program for 11- to14-year-olds, although they can’t be licensed to work. Contact your local Red Cross chapter for a current class schedule.
– If you’re 14 or 15 and live in North Minneapolis, stop by The Cookie Cart, a cozy storefront bakery at 1119 W. Broadway to meet the manager and pick up an application. Start with one three-hour shift a week at $5.25 an hour; after 90 days and a good review, you get a raise. Top performers can work up to three days a week summers and after school. “This is a great first job,” said Taronda Richardson, director of employment and bakery for this nonprofit youth program. Contact: 612-521-0855, CookieCart.org.
– Take yourself out to a ballgame – and earn money while you’re there as a youth league umpire. Earn $15–$35 per game as a newbie softball or baseball ump in St. Paul (must be 16 or older) or $20-$45 in Minneapolis (must be 14 or older). Both cities offer training. In Minneapolis, contact Kent Brevik at 612-230-6495. In St. Paul, contact the Municipal Athletics Office at 651-558-2255.
Cool and cheap things to do
– Want to fly a plane? Ultimately, the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program, an auxiliary program of the U.S. Air Force, could take you there. Kids 12-18 in the cadet program develop leadership and citizenship skills while they learn about aerospace and aviation. Older teens may help with search-and-rescue missions and emergency services like sandbagging flood-endangered areas. Annual membership dues are only $31. Regular meeting attendance is required. For locations statewide, visit MNCAP.org or call Capt. Al Pabon at 612-296-0474.
– It could cost $275 a week (less for siblings and extra weeks) for classes at StageCoach Theatre Arts Schools, but you can attend free as a member of the stage crew, says Simon McAllister of StageCoach. Classes for kids 2-18 run June 25-Aug. 10 in several Twin Cities locations. Call 952-367-6032 or 651-775-2849.
– The Lake Superior Zoo in Duluth invites teens ages 13-17 to apply to its Junior Docent program by May 31. “If I’d had this chance when I was young,” says zookeeper Leslie Larsen, “I would have flipped.” Learn animal handling and public communication skills as you help with animal care and exhibits and interpret for visitors. The cost is just $50 for a six-week session. For schedule and application, go to LSZoo.org (click “Get Involved”) or call 218-723-3854.
– If you’re friendly, dependable, upbeat, curious about the world, and outgoing, there is a cultural institution out there that wants you to help meet, greet, educate, or entertain visitors. All offer training and ask you to commit to a schedule. Try the Minnesota Historical Society (for teens 14 and up). Help with kids’ camps, special events, or at museum stores at the Ramsey House, Fort Snelling, the History Center, and other sites. Must love history (duh!). Call the MNHS Volunteer Services Line at 651-259-3188 or go to MNHS.org/about/volunteers.
– Get in on the ground floor of the Minnesota Science Museum exhibits. Volunteers 16 and up may call now for an application, send it in by May 29, and attend interviews on May 31. Benefits? Free parking and the chance to “develop public speaking skills, confidence in leadership, and to be around amazing innovative thinkers,” says Heather Cox, director of volunteers. Call 651-221-9453 or go to SMM.org/getinvolved/volunteers.
– Paint faces, organize art activities or gallery games, or “funstigate” (instigate fun like playing with balls or puppets with young visitors waiting in sometimes-long lines) at the Minnesota Children’s Museum in St. Paul. Applicants should be 14 or 15 years old, be reliable, and have some experience with children, such as babysitting. Two-week commitment required. Applications due April 15. Contact: 651-225-6046.
– Youthline is a free weekday drop-in program for 12- to 16-year-olds in Minneapolis at various city parks. Its 18 full-time staff organize and supervise outdoor adventures like canoeing and swimming lessons, fun park-based activities, and field trips. Contact Heidi Pope, manager of citywide children and youth programs, at 612-230-6474.
– Too late for this summer, but clip this for nex year: Check out Village Parks, a language and culture program for Minneapolis kids ages 14-18. Through this partnership between the Minneapolis Park Board and Concordia Language Villages, kids attend weekly sessions February through June to learn about world languages and cultures, then teach younger kids at local rec centers. Participants can earn a two-week scholarship to any language immersion camp offered by Concordia Language Villages – a benefit worth more than $1,000. Applications available in December, accepted through January. Contact Heidi Pope at 612-230-6474.
If we could be a teen again, she’d do something more resourceful with her summers than sunbathing.
