A Letter From the 2024 Styles4Kidz Summer Interns
Styles4Kidz's 8-week-long summer internship program has recently ended! With the 2024-25 school year approaching, we want to give the interns from this summer a chance to enlighten donors, supporters, and those ages 10-18 about their personal experience volunteering at Styles4Kidz so when next summer rolls around; you know what to expect.
We had four interns in an 8-week-long training program sponsored by Oak Park River Forest Township. Interns received theory training once a week and a specialized kit containing tools such as clippers, combs, brushes, gel, clips, mannequins, etc., for hands-on training. Interns are built up to go on the floor and wash, blow dry, assist in styling clients, greet parents, check out clients, restock stations, sanitization, business management, front desk, and social media skills, etc., and get to attend fundraising and networking events with the team.
Each intern received a specialized experience based on which areas we assessed they needed the most improvement in and based on their interest in helping out transracial adoptive foster families and natural hair styling.
Here are some personal letters from our awesome summer interns!
Our first intern: Niaom’e - 17 y/o
I’ve gotten the opportunity to perfect my craft in natural hair styling and braiding. Ms. Yakarah, who runs the internship program, has taught me so much, helped me gain clarity, and made me realize that I do not want to limit myself by specializing in only one type of hairstyling. I view the salon staff as mentors who are really kind and have a family-like bond.
Our second intern, Dede - 18 y/o
I’ve learned how to have patience with the kids and discover new and improved ways of braiding. This internship has helped me figure out different parting styles, how to add hair, and how to make everything proportionate. I’ve realized that I want to specialize in knotless braids and locs. The training is good and the mentors help by putting us in their shoes and making sure we know how to work, the ins and outs, the rights and wrongs, and push me to do my best.
Our third intern, Micaela - 18 y/o
The greatest lesson I've learned is how to be patient with your work. I want to specialize in natural hair styling, and this internship has helped me learn how to manage different hair types. The stylists and our mentor have been very supportive. They’ve let us shadow, helped us with the things we struggle with, and let us practice by helping with their own clients a little, and that’s been very helpful.
Our fourth intern, Djouby - 13 y/o
I’ve learned that it’s easier to take smaller steps instead of bigger steps to specialize in a specific type of hair styling and perfect your craft. This internship has helped me decide that I want to specialize in barbering. The mentorship is great; my mentor, John, has taught me so much about barbering.
We celebrated the interns with their families at Coopers Hawk with a graduation dinner at the end of the program.
They received certificates from their teacher, Yakarah Styles, the leader of the internship program, and Executive Director, Tamekia Swint. We are now diving into the 2024-25 school year, and after the first successful internship, where we have extended training, networking opportunities, events, and job offers to two of the interns as they search for their belonging in the broad world of haircare, we are looking to do it again this upcoming summer for anyone interested from ages 10-18.
This isn’t the last time you’ll hear from them as they will all attend the upcoming annual Styles4Kidz Gala; get to hear more in-depth about their experiences and where this opportunity has taken them this fall. Learn more about our fall gala here.
