Illinois: Summer Youth Employment in the Arts Program

Through its Summer Youth Employment in the Arts Program (SYEA), the Illinois Arts Council Agency (IACA) symbiotically realizes its goals to increase and enrich arts education opportunities, to support cultural organizations, and to demonstrate how the arts benefit communities and local economies. IACA grants up to $6,000 to eligible Illinois nonprofit arts organizations to underwrite paid internships for high school students and recent graduates who have not yet begun college. IACA supports up to four internships per grantee organization and up to 20 hours a week per student intern. Interns’ jobs may be administrative or artistic in nature, as long as they offer the chance for positive cultural experiences and provide on-the-job training in the arts. The SYEA program aims to help students grow personally and professionally through engagement with the arts and arts administration, while it supports the work of nonprofits, grows IACA’s community connections and fosters a greater understanding of the value of the arts in public life. Find out more from IACA Director of Community Arts Development Programs Jennifer Armstrong.