This past July, the Center for Youth and Communities at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management received a grant for $2.5 million from the Walmart Foundation. The grant, part of Walmart's 2013 Summer Youth Employability Initiative, funds programs that provide jobs for teenagers in cities including Hartford, Conn.; Philadelphia; San Diego; and Chicago, among others. This is the second year in a row that the CYC has received a grant from Walmart.

CYC Director Prof. Susan P. Curnan (Heller) said in a July 22 press release, "We describe our approach to the summer program as '100 [percent] work, 100 [percent] learning.'" The center gives grants to different agencies in the cities mentioned above to support the programs. These programs are then supervised by researchers at the center who also provide technical support as needed.

 The initiative gives at-risk teenagers a chance to participate in work-to-career programs in government and non-profit settings that give them important skills and experience for future employment. The CYC works with schools, local government and non-profit agencies to place the teenagers in the programs.

Curnan said she believes that the programs are vital for the success of participating teenagers. "Summers matter-over the long term, youth who participate in year-round programs or multiple summer experiences intentionally combining work, learning, and support can improve educational outcomes, are less likely to drop out, have less difficulty getting and keeping jobs, and have higher lifelong earnings than those who do not."

The CYC works to "improve the quality of education, workforce development, and organizational and community-building systems" through "scholarly research and practical experience," according to the center's online mission statement.

The Walmart Foundation, whose other initiatives include sustainability, hunger relief and economic empowerment for women, gave over one billion dollars to its various beneficiaries in the past year.

"At Walmart, we recognize the need to support the next generation of our nation's workforce," said Julie Gehrki, senior director of the Walmart Foundation, in a July 22 press release. "By working closely with the Heller School's Center for Youth and Communities at Brandeis University, we are able to help provide youth access to job opportunities and skills training during the summer months so they can return to school more prepared for the future."

 The center was given five million dollars from the Walmart Foundation in 2012 for its National Program Office to disburse among different urban communities to fund similar summer programs.

According to Walmart's press release, it is estimated that the grant funded 120 hours of work for teenagers at around one hundred work sites this summer.