The Workership Program provides 300 hours of summer employment at minimum wage for students accepted and enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate academic program at a two-year or four-year college for the following Fall semester.

When the Workership Program was proposed in 1981 by Donald Exford, Coordinator of the Lewis County Youth Board, the program was designed to meet two goals: 1. Serve the needs of more college students than the previous scholarship program, and 2. Provide job experience related to the college student's area of study in preparation for career employment.  The program was intended to serve students from middle-class families, who typically were not eligible for government supported summer work programs.  Further, the program was planned to fill the need for summer help for local nonprofit and government programs serving youth.  Workership positions were not intended to replace permanent or part-time positions already filled.  But instead, workership positions were to be new positions completing work that traditionally would not get done.

In the summer of 2005, a pilot Workership Program, designed and coordinated by Suzanne Schwarting and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Lewis County, made it possible for students to work in private sector summer positions directly related to their college majors and career path. Now known as the “Careers Here” program, students interested in pursuing a summer position in the private sector in a job related to one’s professional goals should contact Penny Rowsam Lewis County Cooperative Extension – phone: 315-376-5270. Private sector employers interested in sponsoring a summer workership student should also contact Penny Rowsam at Cooperative Extension.

Nonprofit and government programs delivering services in the area between Boonville and Carthage are urged to apply to sponsor a workership postion(s).  Worksite applicants are reminded that workership sites are selected based upon the following criteria:

1.      Workership position provides programming directly to youth.

2.      Workership position indirectly supports programming for youth.

3.      Workership position provides a quality work experience helping a college student build skills and credentials towards a career path.

4.      Workership position relates to the student’s field of study.  The student receives internship or academic credit for the summer work.

5.      Workership positions results in work being accomplished for the community that probably would not have been accomplished without the student serving in the position.

In recent years due to increases in the minimum wage, the Foundation has been unable to support as many positions.  In 2010, the Foundation sponsored 45 workership positions at 27 sites at a cost $109,000.  Here is the list of sites and positions:

 Adirondack Mennonite Camping Association... 1 Administrative/Maintenance Assistant (Maple Ridge)

                                                                                        ……………..……… Lifeguard (Beaver Camp)

                                                                                        ……………….….. Counselor (Beaver Camp)

American Maple Museum……………………………………………………...……..1 Assistant Curator

Boonville Black River Canal Museum…………………………………………,,,………. 2 Interpreters

Boonville Fair………………………………………………………………………….. 1 Groundskeeper

Boonville Youth Athletic Association…………………………………........… 1 Umpire/Groundskeeper

Carthage Area Hospital …………………………………………………………………….. 3 positions

Carthage Area Hospital Foundation………………………………………......…. 1 Marketing Assistant

Carthage Free Library……………………………………………………...… 1 Summer Reading Intern

Constable Hall Assocation……………. …………………………………………………….. 1 Docent

Hand In Hand Early Childhood Center ………………………….......…... 1 School Age Program Intern

                                                          ……………………...1 21^st. Century Summer Camp Intern

                                           …………………………………………………… 1 Laboratory Intern

                                                        …......1 Administrative Assistant at LC Chamber of Commerce

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation………………………..…...……… 1 Forestry Aide

North Country Library System …………...........…. 1 Summer Reading Program Coordinator (Croghan)

Railway Historical Society of NNY ………………..……………………………..1 Museum Attendant

Town of Diana Historical Museum……………..…………………………………..1 Curator Assistant

1. Summer Recreation Program Grant

Beginning in the summer of 2009, the Foundation is inviting government and not-for-profit organizations that provide summer recreation programming for children and young people to apply for a Summer Recreation Program Grant. 

Beginning in the summer of 2009, Rec. Programs are ineligible to apply for workership funding.

Summer Recreation Program Grant monies may be used to fund any aspect of a program: staff salaries and benefits, rental of equipment, supplies, transportation, etc.

A Pratt Northam summer recreation grant should fund summer programming that would not be provided without the grant.  A recreation grant program request may not exceed 20% of a program’s total summer program budget and it is expected that a grant request would not exceed $5 per student served by the program.

The following Recreation Programs received funding for the summer of 2010:

Town of Greig                                                           $3,000.00

Village of Boonville                                                   $4,400.00

Village of Carthage                                                   $5,060.00

Village of Croghan                                                    $3,400.00

Village of Lowville                                                    $3,000.00

Village of Port Leyden                                              $1,380.00

Application for Summer Recreation Program Funding