“What was your first job?”

At Vera’s Adolescent Portable Therapy project (APT), we’ve used this question as a meeting ice-breaker, because it invariably sparks interesting conversations. People talk passionately about those first jobs and how they either confirmed or changed what they thought they knew about the work world. Earning that first paycheck is a transformative experience. The first job is a milestone in adolescence, as young people begin to move toward self-sufficiency and adulthood.

Even though we’re a counseling program, APT believes that good treatment is not enough to help young people make positive changes in their lives. Our strengths-based philosophy holds that people are much more than the sum of their problems. Kids with substance abuse and mental health issues still need opportunities to experience the important milestones of adolescence.  

APT works in the most under-resourced communities in New York City. Our kids don’t always have connections to a family friend who can give them their first job. And government-funded programs like the NYC Summer Youth Employment Program have faced serious cuts in recent years. There are always more kids who want jobs than there are jobs available.

Every summer, APT bridges a small part of the gap by offering paid internships in NYC-based organizations to some of the young people in our program. For most of these young people, this is their very first job, so APT offers coaching and support to make sure that they are building the skills they need to succeed in the workplace.

On Wednesday, June 23, from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m., APT is holding a fundraising event at the Alibi Lounge at 116 MacDougal St., New York City, to support the summer work readiness/job program. Join us and help us help APT’s kids get a leg up toward a better future.