Our partners are doing whatever it takes to give teens in our community access to opportunities during this uncertain time.

For the past few years, YouthForce, our career readiness program has partnered with Bank of America to offer internships for teens. Although the format looked different this year, that did not take away from the positive impact this experience will have on participants’ lives.

Nine YouthForce teens took part in a four-week virtual internship with Bank of America. Interns took part in various financial literacy classes, workshops, and listened to inspiring guest speakers.

The overarching goal of this program is to introduce teens to the world of finance. In addition to learning hard financial literacy, the participants left the program with professional skills, such as customer service and networking, which will serve them in all their future endeavors.

One of the interns, Vinial, said that they learned lifelong skills such as “what it takes to be a part of a team.”

A memorable part of the experience for another intern was “making connections with people who love what they do.”

In addition to it being a positive experience for the teens, folks at Bank of America were delighted with how well the program worked out.

Boys & Girls Clubs of King County is grateful to work with a partner who is willing to reimagine an entire internship program, for YouthForce interns in our region and teens across the country through this national program.

Read about the first YouthForce Bank of America internship in 2018!

Bank of America’s commitment to community runs deep, especially when it comes to enriching the lives of young people and families. Bank of America continues to invest in the Clubs during this challenging year to safeguard our services for families of essential workers and provide a safe, affordable place for children during the day.  

They also recognize that Clubs are filling enormous gaps in educational opportunity. Bank branches across the state of Washington held school supply drives to benefit remote learning in the Clubs.

Lastly, to ensure kids are practicing healthy, active lifestyles, Bank of America is partnering with WNBA Champions Seattle Storm to present virtual basketball clinics for kids across King County.  

We are grateful to work with a partner who is willing to imagine new ways to make an impact. No matter how challenging this year has been, Bank of America have found ways to get involved, give back, and make a profound difference in our community.