Thousands of kids have been given a summer job as part of Mayor Megan Barry's initiative to get Nashville's youth off the streets.
Opportunity Now employed more than 10,000 young people this summer, but it wasn't just for teens, anyone from the ages of 14 to 24 could be hired through the initiative.
Quickly after Mayor Berry took office, Nashville saw an uptick in youth violence.
Barry held a series of meetings with Nashville's youth, and teens said employment would be a good way to keep them busy and out of trouble.
That's when the Mayor asked for employers help to employ 10,000 young people this summer.
NewsChannel 5 spoke with students interning at the Juvenile Justice Center, and court officials were happy to see teens making positive life decisions through the Opportunity Now program.
"The chance to have two of our young people working directly in the court system instead of being apart of the court system is very uplifting. And I'm hoping that opportunity now expands and we'll be able to hire more and more interns," said Judge Sheila Calloway, Davidson County Juvenile Courts.
Even though the summer internships will end Thursday, teens and young adults can still utilize Opportunity Now to find jobs throughout Nashville.
