Detroit is widening the summer job menu for local teens with a new Summer Arts Employment Training program that will pay up to 200 high school students to work in the arts this year. The initiative combines hands-on creative projects in dance, theater, visual art, and technical production with basic workplace skills and a paycheck. Online applications opened last Friday, and the program is scheduled to run from late June through mid-August.
Program rollout and partners
As reported by the Michigan Chronicle, the Summer Arts Employment Training (SAET) program is led by Heritage Works in partnership with Detroit Excellence in Youth Arts (DEYA) and Grow Detroit’s Young Talent (GDYT). SAET participants will be placed at partner sites, including Artlab J, Detroit City Dance, Live Coal, Que Blackout Youth Theater and W.I.S.E. Partnership, where they will split time between creative work and job-readiness training. “Detroit’s youth have tremendous creative talent and potential,” DEYA executive director Nafeesah Symonette said.
How to apply
To get into SAET, students first apply through Grow Detroit’s Young Talent and submit the required documents that include a Social Security card, birth certificate, and an unexpired government or school photo ID. GDYT notes that the 2026 portal opened last Friday and will stay live through mid-May, with applicants set to receive notifications by May 31. The site also offers a youth resource guide aimed at helping families track down and organize all the necessary paperwork.
DEYA and local partners
Detroit Excellence in Youth Arts focuses on broadening access to youth arts opportunities across the city and shoring up a network of smaller arts organizations. Connect Detroit describes DEYA as a collective-impact initiative that pulls together resources and programming for young artists and for the local groups that serve them.
Funding and workforce goals
The program uses state out-of-school time funds along with city-run summer-work supports, tying arts training directly to paid employment. The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential’s MiLEAP initiative has been issuing Out-of-School Time grants to grow summer programming around Michigan, while GDYT handles job placement and employer partnerships that turn arts experience into paid positions.
What to expect and deadlines
As reported by the Michigan Chronicle, teens must be accepted into GDYT and also complete a separate SAET interest form. Selected applicants may be asked to audition or sit for an interview, and organizers say interest forms will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis until all spots are filled. SAET is geared toward students ages 14 to 17 and is designed to give young Detroit artists both a summer paycheck and experience they can list on a future résumé.
