School’s out and young job seekers across the country have less than a 30 percent chance of finding work. For disadvantaged youth and high school dropouts the odds are worse.

Since the recession many of the low-wage jobs have been snatched up, leaving even fewer summer opportunities for young people.

But thanks to a $1.2 billion federal stimulus fund, states are revitalizing summer youth programs that have languished over the past decade because of declining federal funding. Allocated to states over a two-year period and then distributed through local workforce agencies, the stimulus program allows states to subsidize jobs and create training programs for 14-to-24-year-olds who come from low-income families and have one or more risk factors, such as foster care, homelessness or teen pregnancy.

Starting this month, states are using the new money to hire young people for jobs as varied as cleaning state parks, scrubbing the decks of docked battleships, assisting in underwater environmental studies and working in offices and hospitals. In addition, most programs squeeze in time for academic assistance, particularly for kids struggling to finish high school.

The annual G8 meeting, which wrapped up last week, has  yielded pledges of $20 billion over three years to feed the hungry and mobilize a comprehensive strategy focused on sustainable agriculture development that would ensure global food security.

By helping the world’s hungry, who now number one billion, the international community can also secure a more peaceful and stable future for all, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations Friday in L’Aquila, Italy.

In Michigan, Grand Blanc Township may follow in the footsteps of West coast communities in installing charging stations for electric cars for about $3,000 each.

“Money is actually making it from the federal government to the local level,” said Township Engineer Roger Buell, regarding a $143,000 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant through the U.S. Department of Energy.

While this is a relatively new idea in the Midwest, Oregon has been developing a pilot program to build electric car infrastructure.

Recharging normally costs about 50 cents per hour for the electrical charge and the stations provide peace of mind for drivers of all-electric cars.

(Read more from Grand Blanc News)