From making money and memories to honing skills and nurturing talents, with the right recipe helping your teens make the most of the summer can be as easy as pie. Just ask 16-year-old baker and entrepreneur Jessie Toriello. She’ll tell you one of the key ingredients to a successful summer is to start planning early.
Toriello, who’s always loved baking, started her specialty fruit tart baking business last fall when photos of her beautiful tarts captured the attention of her first customer. “She ordered two for her son’s birthday party. That’s when it started. I decided to sell my fruit tarts locally for Thanksgiving. I make everything from scratch, from the vanilla custard to the shortbread crust, so it’s very time-consuming,” she says.
Friends and family help with the delivery. Now she’s ready to take orders for Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day.
START A BUSINESS
Not all teenagers are old enough for regular employment, but like Toriello, with the right idea and a little hustle, they can become entrepreneurs. Dog walking, babysitting, tutoring, lawn mowing, or perhaps an Etsy shop or YouTube channel are some ideas for teens without a work permit. Start with what your younger teens are interested in and help them brainstorm about a business that’s right for them. For more ideas, there are resources like Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban’s book Kid Start-Up: How YOU Can Be An Entrepreneur and of course the internet.
SLEEPAWAY CAMP
Even if your teen has never been to sleepaway camp, it’s never too late to try. Sports camps are a fun way to spend time away from home while improving their game.
Or, for a more traditional sleepaway camp experience, there are places like Camp Sloane YMCA in Lakeville, Connecticut. Camp Director Rhino Merrick said Camp Sloane’s culture is welcoming and friendly to new campers. “Veteran campers are quick to help their new first-time friends develop that same sense of belonging,” he says.
For younger teens (up to and including rising 10th graders) Camp Sloane YMCA offers 2-week sessions and one, 1-week session. Rising juniors are eligible for their leadership program (LEAD). “The program is a hybrid traditional camp and leadership development experience. Not only do teens get to choose some of their favorite traditional camp activities, but they also take part in leadership programs that develop both a theoretical and practical foundation for them,” he says.
DAY CAMP COUNSELORS
“When you work at camp, you have a chance to connect with your campers and become an influential and positive role model for them that they will likely remember forever. You become part of their favorite summer memory that will help form who they will become as adults,” says Caitlin Kehoe, Ed.M., BCBA, recreation supervisor of Daisy Recreation and Camps with East Brunswick Department of Recreation & Parks. Daisy Recreation, which has been serving the special needs community in and around East Brunswick for over 50 years and is supported by Daisy Association (a volunteer-run non-profit), hires junior counselors as young as 15. Teens don’t need to be East Brunswick residents and no prior experience is necessary, she says.
“Our best counselors are those who are passionate about working with kids, energetic, creative, and can be quick and dynamic in their thinking. All staff must go through required pre-camp trainings prior to working with us.”
TARTS.
WRITING CLASSES AND INTERNSHIPS
The School of The New York Times Summer Academy offers a wide variety of courses, from photojournalism to podcasting.
Red Bank-based Project Write Now, through its PWN Teen division, offers teens virtual and in-person creative writing classes year-round and in the summer. In addition to classes, there are three different summer internship opportunities for teens, says Lisa Hartsgrove, MFA, program coordinator and creative writing instructor at Project Write Now.
Teaching assistants help with their in-person youth summer writing programs. Editorial assistants create content for marketing material, the PWN website, and the young adult literary journal. The Interview Project helps interns tell the stories that need to be told.
“We teach essential journalism skills, such as interviewing, selecting important details and writing a compelling narrative. The goal is to provide completed stories to give to the participants and their families. Finished pieces are published in a feature issue of our online young adult literary journal, Bridge Ink,” Hartsgrove says.
VISUAL ARTS PROGRAMS AND COUNSELING/CIT OPPORTUNITIES
Montclair Art Museum offers visual arts classes for teens ages 13-17 and CIT/counselor programs for teens 15 and up, says Grace Brown, education programs manager at Montclair Art Museum. Classes are two-week long sessions from June 30 to August 22. Morning and afternoon classes are available in ceramics, print making, oil and acrylic painting, figure drawing, digital drawing, cartoons and comics, graphic novels, a fine arts intensive, and a fiber arts fashion class. “All levels and abilities are welcome, but generally participants are already involved in the arts in school and looking to amp up their portfolios,” Brown says.
The museum also hires counselors and counselors in training (CITs) each summer to work with younger campers as classroom assistants. “The SummerART team makes sure our kids are being safe and having fun. They learn how an art class works and assisting different teachers gives them the opportunity to experience their individual teaching styles,” Brown says. Counselors are paid a stipend and must be at least 16. CITs are at least 15 and are volunteers. All attend a lengthy training that includes safety procedures and team-building exercises. “A lot of kids return every year. They build connections,” Brown says.
COLLEGE PROGRAMS
Most colleges and universities offer summer programs for high school students, giving teens the opportunity to take more advanced classes while experiencing dorm and campus life. These programs can be helpful with the college application process when your teen is able to show an elevated interest in the colleges and universities to which they’re applying. CollegeVine’s blog (collegevine.com/blog) has a list of 24 colleges and universities in New Jersey that offer summer programs for high school students.
VOLUNTEERING
There are dozens of ways students can volunteer in their communities. Most school counseling departments are able to offer a list of organizations in need. Jersey Cares provides opportunities for teens across the state to participate in volunteer service.
“Whether it be collecting donations for our annual School Supply Drive, signing up for one of the numerous projects hosted by our partner agencies through our Volunteer Opportunity Calendar, participating in our Youth Service Events like the Youth Social Media Ambassador program, or completing at-home DIY projects, there is something for everyone who is looking to volunteer,” says Meagan Muller, director of volunteer programs for the Livingston-based nonprofit. “Additionally, for volunteers ages 17+ looking to go the extra mile, we have our Summer of Service where volunteers can train to be a project coordinator and lead a minimum of 12 volunteer opportunities over the summer months to further develop their leadership skills.”
SAT/ACT PREP
If August rolls around and your teens have run out of ideas to fill the hours until school starts, they can spend time preparing for standardized testing or working on their college essays. And if all else fails, maybe they can clean their rooms!
—Jennifer Salvato Doktorski received a 2024 Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. A proud mom and Jersey Girl, she’s the author of six young adult novels including her latest, Finding Normal, and lives with her family in Central NJ.
