Yuma teens have a new career center. Where are the local paid internships?

Yuma teenagers now have a renovated room where they can practice job interviews, write resumes, and get ready for work. But can they walk out of that room and into a paid local internship? That part remains unconfirmed.

The AZYouthforce Center opened October 6 at the Boys & Girls Club of Yuma, with backing from the Rotary Club of Yuma. KYMA covered the opening and interviewed club and Rotary leaders. Rotary also shared the coverage on its Facebook page.

As of October 12, none of the public materials reviewed named a participating Yuma employer, a local internship application deadline, or a confirmed local placement. The center gives teenagers a place to prepare for work. What's still missing from the public information is a verified list of paid opportunities here in Yuma.

A room for career preparation

Branch director Rowena Regalado told KYMA the space would support resume writing and mock interviews as the club builds out its teen program. Rotary president Jennifer Reichelt described enclosing an area previously bordered by a half railing to create a more usable space. Volunteers put in five Saturdays on the renovation, the station reported.

KYMA reported a $4,000 grant, additional contributions, and volunteer hours, with a project value of roughly $20,000. The wording suggests a combined figure, but no itemized accounting was found to show whether the grant is already included. The numbers should not be stacked into a verified $24,000 total, or called $20,000 in cash.

What the internship program requires

The room is one piece of a larger career-preparation effort. The broader AZYouthforce program involves selection, training, and matching participants with paid internships.

Its eligibility page says applicants must be 14 to 21 and enrolled in school; Boys & Girls Club membership is not required to apply. Individual positions carry narrower requirements. The Yuma club's workforce-readiness page describes its local audience as grades 9 through 12, ages 14 to 18.

Most placements require 30 hours of Academy training, except Emerging Leaders. Subjects include customer service, resume writing, public speaking, and financial literacy. The program describes internships lasting eight to 18 weeks and says most employers pay minimum wage, with some paying $16 to $22 an hour. Those are general program descriptions, not confirmed Yuma wages or terms.

The online application takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Selected applicants move on to a virtual information session and an interview, with the whole process taking about a month. A resume is optional. The parent FAQ describes screening, orientation, and parental signatures for minors.

The FAQ describes training over three Saturdays, while the Academy page gives a more variable schedule. Both point to Valley training locations. Neither establishes a Yuma cohort date or schedule.

Check the location before applying

As of the October 12 review, the internship index listed two sports opportunities. AZPlays, for ages 18 to 21, says its games are at the Colangelo Branch in Phoenix. The junior listing, for ages 14 to 17, does not establish a Yuma placement.

The application page says fall internships are open, but it does not confirm Yuma openings. That distinction matters. A teenager could find an opportunity listed online only to discover that the actual work takes place in Phoenix.

The room's opening alone does not establish that local paid placements have started. It also does not mean they aren't available. The public information reviewed simply doesn't settle the question, including whether Yuma is still recruiting employers.

Costs and the next step for families

BGCAZ's teen program charges $30 a year with free monthly attendance. The Yuma site likewise lists annual membership and free teen attendance. None of that establishes a separate fee policy for the career center or the internships, so families should confirm any membership, training, or screening charges before applying.

Call 928-575-2450 or visit 1100 S. 13th Avenue, Yuma, AZ 85364.

Regular after-school hours are 2:30 to 7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, and Friday, and noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. During fall break, October 9 to 16, weekday hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Those are club hours; ask when career-center staff are available.

For internship questions, the application page lists Samantha.Hansen@bgcaz.org and Kevin.Chavez@bgcaz.org.

Ask specifically about Yuma employers, available positions, training dates, pay, transportation, and costs before treating an online listing as a local opportunity.