United Way meeting spotlights youth workforce connections in Mid Coast Maine
Bowdoin College will host a June 24 meeting on paid internships and youth jobs, as United Way and local employers push to build the Mid Coast workforce.
United Way of Mid Coast Maine is using its annual meeting to press a bigger question for Brunswick, Bath and Topsham: how to turn more local students into local workers. The June 24 gathering at Bowdoin College will center on Youth Connecting to Tomorrow, a theme tied to internships, employer needs and the region’s long-term talent pipeline.
The meeting is set for Wednesday, June 24, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Bowdoin College in Brunswick. It is open to the community, with advance RSVPs requested. Along with a panel discussion featuring representatives from local high schools and business leaders, the agenda includes board of directors elections. Nominees and members standing for reelection include Sean Martin, Catherine Showalter, Christopher Bowe, Bob McCue, Jack Dexter of Edgecomb, Barbara Rapoza of Brunswick and Sarah Seames of Brunswick.
The youth-workforce push sits inside the Sagadahoc County Working Communities Challenge Connecting to Tomorrow Initiative, which United Way says is aimed at increasing youth hopefulness while supporting future workforce development opportunities. United Way of Mid Coast Maine leads the effort with partners that include the Bath-Brunswick-Topsham Regional Chamber, City of Bath, Midcoast Maine Community Action, MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital, Midcoast Youth Center and RSU 1. Other listed partners include Brunswick School Department, MSAD 75, Retail Association of Maine and Richmond Schools.
RSU 1 says the initiative is helping students pursue career aspirations through internships and a regional Youth Action Board. Grant funding makes the internships paid and covers free transportation for students, a detail that matters in a region where access to rides can determine whether a teenager can take part in a work experience at all. The program is also designed around vulnerable youth and their families, linking social support with workforce development instead of treating the two as separate issues.
The internship effort already has a track record. Students from Morse, Richmond, Mt. Ararat and Brunswick high schools have taken part in 20-hour and 40-hour placements that expose them to workplaces and career paths they might not encounter otherwise. A celebration at Union + Co. in Bath last year recognized participating students and businesses, underscoring that the initiative is built around real employer participation, not just classroom discussion.
The collaboration has also secured an extension grant that keeps the work moving through July 2026. United Way says its broader community work now also includes a MaineHousing Homeless Response Service Midcoast Hub and the Brunswick New Mainers Initiative, placing the youth pipeline inside a wider strategy that links housing stability, newcomer support and job readiness across Mid Coast Maine.
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