Being a teen-age member of the Boys and Girls Club of Sumter County means gaining hands-on experience about what it takes to excel at a job.

At a job orientation session Thursday at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Boys and Girls Club in Plains, the teens learned valuable skills such as how to properly fill out an application, wear appropriate attire to an interview and respond positively to interview questions, said Jimmy Green, senior unit director.

The members went to the Wal-Mart Supercenter after the orientation to see how Wal-Mart employees conduct themselves on the job.

“The members gained a lot from the Wal-Mart experience,” said Green.

Some of the teenage Boys and Girls Club members have been hired as “junior staff” to assist the younger members at the various Club units in Sumter County.

Deon Williams, a junior staffer, said it feels good to have his own job and to be making his own money. “I feel independent,” he said Friday, during a break at the Easter Morning Boys and Girls Club.

Jazmain Tommie said, as a junior staffer, she has to be a role model for the younger club members. “It feels good to be a positive role model,” she said.

In all, nine teens have been hired at $5.50 an hour to be junior staffers at the Boys and Girls Club of Sumter County.

They’re working a maximum of 30 hours a week while school is out for the summer and will work 15 hours a week when school resumes.

“The overall goal is to develop a qualified, competent and committed workforce, which is required to fulfill the mission of the Boys & Girls Club Movement,” said Johnny Byrd, chief professional officer of the Boys and Girls Club of Sumter County.

“And to encourage and motivate our youth to become good citizens and to also consider future careers as club professionals.”