Billions of dollars in stimulus money is being spent in different ways to pull the U.S. out of an economic recession. Some of that money was able to fund troubled youth around Vermont, in an effort to get them back on track to a positive future.

Governor Douglas announced back in May that close to 3 million dollars would be divvied up between schools, businesses, and non- profit organizations around the state. This money created summer programs designed to prepare those classified as at-risk youth, for the world of work.

Barry Wood, 23, counts himself among them. He dropped out of high school when he was 16 years old, a choice he would take back if given the opportunity.

Wood now has a full time job at the Bel-Aire Nursing Home in Newport, a job he landed as part of a summer youth program run by the Northeast Kingdom Community Action Center.

“Before this I wasn’t working for a while, I’ve had a lot of odd end jobs. But I think it’s a steady job where I landed and I’m sure I’ll be here for a while”, he said.

Northeast Sportsnet in Lyndonville is one of the businesses to make the most of their received grant. The money was used to teach a dozen kids how make videos, improve writing technique, and gain all around skills required for the broadcasting field.

“ They were paid employees and treated that way with MTI. If they were late, they were deducted pay because they were late. If it happened on a regular basis, they were written up. They realized they could be fried from this opportunity, it’s not a freebee”, says Jim Davis, the COO of NEK Sportsnet.

Davis also made it clear that jobs beyond the program were offered to the kids who showed the initiative. There was business for them because they had been trained to fit the NEK Sportsnet model.

That’s the way it worked for Wood at the nursing home.

“They liked my work had a job opening in here, and you have to be fast paced, so I lucked out. They asked me if I wanted the job and of course I said yes”, said Wood.