All Stars Project and City of Dallas expand Dallas Works youth internship pilot, seek 20 more placements

The All Stars Project and city officials told the Dallas Workforce Education and Equity Committee on May 12 that Dallas Works, the mayor’s relaunched summer internship pilot, has reached more than 1,000 youth through outreach and has secured roughly 80 paid internship placements so far but needs at least 20 more to meet initial targets.

The presentation said the program focuses on youth ages 16 to 21 and is placing students from Dallas College, Dallas ISD and UNT Dallas in paid six-week internships that start June 30. Natalie Sandifer, director of the All Stars Project’s Dallas effort, said internships will pay “$18 to $22 an hour for 20 to 40 hours a week” and that companies hire interns directly. Sandifer also pointed committee members to the program website: "dallassummerjobs.org is the website. There's a get involved link on there," she said.

Why it matters: city and nonprofit leaders framed the effort as more than summer jobs. Lynn McBee, the city’s workforce czar, said the initiative is meant to build long-term economic mobility by helping youth develop workplace readiness and “vocational competence” alongside social-emotional and life skills.

The All Stars Project described a three-phase model: (1) career-ready workshops open to many youth, (2) an intensive one-week “boot camp” to prepare students for internships, and (3) paid placements with nonprofit, city and corporate partners. Antoine Joyce Roach, senior vice president of the All Stars Project, said the organization’s performance-based model emphasizes 8 dimensions of development — including confidence, interpersonal competence and vocational competence — that supervisors and interns report as improvements after participating.

Program details and targets provided at the meeting include: the pilot’s goal to reach 1,000 youth with career-ready learning (surpassed), prepare up to 175 youth through the week-long boot camp (on track), and offer up to 150 paid internships (80 secured at the time of the presentation). The presenters said supervisors receive a two-hour training and are paired with internship coaches who can be contacted during the summer.

Funding and volunteer needs: presenters said Dallas Works is still raising private funds to meet its placement targets and expand capacity. Sandifer told the committee the typical cost cited for an intern placement is roughly $5,000 for the summer, and that the program is seeking employers and volunteers to host mock interviews and serve as internship coaches who commit about 15 hours over the summer.

Council members responded with offers and follow-up requests. Councilwoman Willis said she knows businesses that may host interns and asked for materials to direct them to the program. Chairman Ridley and Chairman Resendiz voiced support; Ridley asked for outreach to Roosevelt High School after not seeing it on an initial list, and All Stars representatives confirmed Roosevelt is included. Several council members emphasized that transportation logistics — and matching interns to offices near DART lines or downtown locations — are important to placement success.

What’s next: All Stars representatives said placements and volunteer matches will continue through June and asked committee members and city departments to help recruit the remaining internships. Sandifer said the organization will continue private fundraising and partner outreach to hit the stated goals.

Ending: Committee members and city managers said city departments are committed to sponsoring interns and will follow up with All Stars on remaining placement needs and volunteer recruitment. The committee did not take a formal vote on funding during the meeting.