PROVIDENCE -- When 14-year-old Aileen Matos showed up for her first day at the summer youth employment program last month she had mixed feelings.

It would be nice, she reasoned, to spend her summer vacation doing something other than babysitting to earn money.

But how much work and what kind of work would this program at the West Elmwood Housing Development Corporation include?

She was pleasantly surprised.

"I thought we were just going to WORK," Aileen said in a recent interview. "But it turned out to be so much more."

The program, called Summer Sweeps, was created three years ago as a way to keep West End youths off the streets and out of trouble, according to Thea Fielding, program coordinator and community organizer for the agency.

For seven weeks, the 12 participants received $100 per week, half of which they were required to deposit into a bank or credit union account, Aileen said. That is part of the program's financial literacy component that "teaches us how to save," she said.

The teens, who commit five hours each week day to the program, have participated in street cleanups, been trained as tree stewards, learned about acting and playwriting, participated in professional development workshops, done clerical work and received training on career development.

Thanks to a partnership with Cox Cable, the teens have learned about television production and put together a TV show about Summer Sweeps that will run on public access TV next month, Fielding said. The show features participants interviewing their peers and pointing out highlights in their community; it also features Street Noise, a dance troupe.

While some of the teens are involved in other summer activities, Fielding said, many of them would likely be sitting at home with little to do if they did not have the program.

As part of the professional development component, the program introduced the youths to careers, Fielding said. Such speakers as Mayor David N. Cicilline and Michael Moran, a Coastway Credit Union executive, made presentations to the group.

The program also included educational trips to AS220 and the Roger Williams Park Zoo, she said.

Fielding said the program, which is sponsored by West Elmwood Housing, Rhode Island Housing, the Youth RAP program and Coastway Credit Union, was able to expand to 12 teens this year. In the past, it could afford to hire only five youths.

Many of the participants were recruited from Stephens Apartments or the Bellevue Street development project, two housing rehabilitation initiatives that West Elmwood has completed.

"It's different because we work, meet new people and we learn things," Aileen said.

Aileen, who attends the Health & Science Academy High School at the Juanita Sanchez complex, said her friends were somewhat envious of her experiences.

"You're getting paid and you do so many fun things," she said.

The program runs through Aug. 25.

kdavis@projo.com / (401) 277-7353