Grow.
Prepare.
Lead.

Student

Registration


The 2024 Application Process will open soon!

Employer Involvement


Your business can help guide local teens toward the right career path.

Talent Connections


Sign up for employment opportunities, career fairs, apprenticeships, and more.

Get the job experience you need for the future — RIGHT NOW.


You want to stand out from all the rest of the students out there looking for a great job, right? Of course you do. But besides wearing something cool to the interview, what else do you need to know? Where do you go to learn the stuff that they don’t always teach you in school?

Simple. Complete TeenQuest and then you’re automatically in for the Summer Youth Initiative (SYI) job connections!

WHY SYI & TeenQuest?

You’ll get experience, learn valuable social skills, make connections and find a great summer job.

  • Earn extra income.
  • Learn financial skills.
  • Explore future employment opportunities.
  • Learn time-management skills and organization.
  • Learn to work in a team.
  • Summer jobs look great on your resume.

The Summer Youth Initiative gives you priceless experience — the kind employers love.


Requirements & Registration


Applications for the annual Job Fair are emailed each spring to qualifying students. TeenQuest graduates can interview for summer jobs with local employers.

Qualifications

– Have successfully completed the TeenQuest pre-employment leadership training
– Be 14 to 19 years old
– Currently be in grades 9-12
– Reside and attend school in Genesee County, either public, private, charter, alternative or home school

Requirements

Teens are responsible for completing and submitting their application to SYI on their own. Parents or other adults may assist the teen, but please do not complete the form for the applicant as this is an important part of the overall process for getting a job now and in the future.

Completed applications are to be submitted online only. No paper applications will be accepted.

Keep it fresh

In order to receive updates and information regarding Summer Youth Initiative (SYI) Job Fairs and employment opportunities, we must have your current address, phone number, and email. Please click the button below if your information has changed.

After SYI

After completing the TeenQuest pre-employment program, Marcell Simmons snagged a summer job with Kayak Flint through Summer Youth Initiative in 2019. Although he graduated out of SYI soon after, the local nonprofit hired Marcell back on the following summer to serve as a rental supervisor. The Mott Community College student did so well in that position that he was promoted to lead supervisor in 2021. Here, he talks about the important work experience he’s gotten through SYI and Kayak Flint and how that’s prepared him for his future.