Tough economic times and a dwindling job market means many teenagers who usually work over the summer could be out of a job. But Teens In Public Service (TIPS), a Seattle-based nonprofit, is working to help some of these teens find work and give back to their community at the same time as TIPS helps teenagers secure employment at various non-profit organizations such as the Ballard Food Bank.

TIPS selects teens for internships at charitable organizations by matching their talents and interests with the needs of over 75 local non-profits. While teens serve at no cost to the non-profit, they still earn a paycheck through TIPS.

“Our internships give teens the chance to earn money as well as open their eyes to the needs of their community,” says Cathy Michalec, TIPS Executive Director.

“Our hope is that these teens will continue to be involved with their communities long after their internships are over.”

TIPS was founded in 1997 by a Seattle mom Maureen Brotherthon and her daughter, Tia Heim, who wanted to create more rewarding job opportunities for teens.

 "When Tia was 16 she volunteered at Atlantic Street Center’s K.O.O.L.I.S. She was found to be such an asset to the program that AS was trying to find funds to hire her.  When this didn’t happen and the time came where she needed to get a paying summer job, Tia was going to quit volunteering," Brotherthon said.

"Her father and I decided that it could be beneficial to the program as well as Tia if we put her on one of our company payrolls for the summer at minimum wage and let her continue to tutor and help with managing the program. Later on we decided to establish a nonprofit that could provide this opportunity to other teens, whose parents might not be in a position to do what we did." 

Since it early days, TIPS has grown from an initial group of 11 interns who worked in seven different charitable agencies to 60 interns. 

"The nonprofits continue to give us feedback that our interns are having a dynamic impact, not only on their workforce gaps, but on their clients as well," Brotherthon said.  

"We added leadership training component to our program in the very beginning and that has grown to cover more than just public speaking skills.  We also added a group community service project, which allows all of our interns to come together for one day during the summer to work collectively on a service project."

As for most non-profits, the economic downturn has made obtaining funding challenge for TIPS.

"However, I think that the cuts that some of our non-profit partners have had to make in this challenging economic environment make our interns even more of an asset to those non-profits as they attempt to provide the same services with fewer resources," said Brotherthon.

TIPS also received a record numbers of applicants for a limited number of intern positions and increasing requests for interns from non-profit partners, she added.

TIPS employes Ballard teens as well as place interns at local non-profits such as the food banks and previously, the Woodland Park Zoo.

"TIPS has developed more well-rounded, compassionate teens in Seattle, which benefits the entire Seattle community, including Ballard," Brotherthon said.

TIPS is now seeking applicants for its 2011 class. Teens ages 15 to 19 who are leaders in their high schools and are committed to becoming a part of their community through service and volunteerism are encouraged to apply before March 25, at  www.teensinpublicservice.org