Alex Hackett and his sister Diamond will be pounding the pavement looking for work, now that the city of Wilmington has slashed its summer youth employment program by eliminating 250 jobs. It is all part of a cost cutting budget proposed by Wilmington mayor Jim Baker.
The news means 16-year-old Diamond isn't optimistic about having a summer paycheck.
"It is so hard. I tried to apply for jobs, they never call back," Diamond said.
Alex worked at the Hicks Anderson Community Center last summer as a camp counselor. Not only will he lose a chance at working there again, but under the proposed cut, the center itself will close on Saturdays, leaving many young people in the neighborhood without a place to go.
"The kids were amazing and also to keep them off the streets, as well as me," Alex said.
Paul Calistro runs the West End Neighborhood House. He says 80 kids have already applied for just 10 of the summer youth jobs he has there.
"It's a tough cut; it's a tough thing for the kids to deal with. It's going to be hard for me to explain it to them," Calistro said.
Tiffany Hackett, mother of Alex and Diamond, worries about what her teens and others will do this summer.
"I know a lot of kids really depend on the summer money to buy school clothes. It gives them a sense of responsibility. It just made me think what's going to happen in the summertime when these kids have nothing to do," Hackett said.
But a spokesman for Mayor John Rago says cuts had to be made somewhere and the summer youth program was just one of many items on the table because of a looming $8-million budget deficit.
"As far as what kids are going to be doing, that's where the parents have to step in, community organizations have to step in and try to fill this void," Rago said.
The budget also calls for closing two out of four city pools. That could make for a long hot summer for city kids after a long hot debate once the budget comes up for a vote
