Chicago, Cook County Sponsor Summer Jobs Program For Young Adults

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The City of Chicago and Cook County have begun signing up young people people for programs designed to keep them off the streets this summer. And a top City official says that means work and play, reports WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore.

Evelyn Diaz, Chicago's Commissioner of Family and Support Services, says educational and recreational activities for 190,000 people from the ages 16-24 can be found at www. onesummerchicago.org and she says there are 18,000 job opportunities, many of which are essentially paid internships. The government provides the pay and the non-profit agencies and others get the kids.

"The employers are the receiving agencies, they don't have to pay those kids' wages. That is really important because we want to recruit as many businesses and churches and non-profit organizations to work with kids this summer," said Diaz.

The major requirement that commissioner says is that the young adults have something worthwhile to do.