Announcement Marks Largest Offering of Employment Opportunities Ever for City Youth Ages 14-24
Program to Be Funded Annually by New Investments in Upcoming Preliminary Budget
Adams: Every Young Person Should Have an Opportunity to Work or Learn This Summer
New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced New York City will, this summer, support a record 100,000 summer job opportunities annually for young people ages 14-24, with 90,000 of the opportunities stemming from the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) and 10,000 opportunities coming from other city programs. The 90,000 opportunities through SYEP is the largest number of jobs ever made available in the program’s 60-year history. The record number of opportunities — an increase from the previous record of nearly 75,000 — is possible in part due to a $79 million investment that will be made in the mayor’s upcoming Fiscal Year 2023 Preliminary Budget. This expansion is a key part of an overall strategy to keep the city’s youth engaged and active over the summer months when crime spikes — and is a preventive action outlined in Mayor Adams’ Blueprint to End Gun Violence.
“Young people in this city should have the opportunity to work or learn this summer, and this historic investment will help secure a better future for tens of thousands while helping to make our city safer,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “We owe it to our children to give them every opportunity to thrive, and this expansion will do just that.”
The city’s SYEP program, which is the largest in the country, typically runs for six weeks in July and August. SYEP provides participants with paid opportunities to explore potential career interests and pathways, allowing participants to engage in learning experiences that help develop their professional, social, civic, and leadership skills. Research shows summer jobs save lives, cut crime, and strengthen communities. A 2021 study found that SYEP participation lowers participants’ chances of being arrested that summer by 17 percent and by 23 percent for felony arrests. Other research has found that SYEP youth are significantly less likely to be incarcerated in New York State more than five years after their participation in the program.
Beyond the public safety implications, summer jobs can offer life-changing experiences for participants who discover a passion, connect with a mentor, and gain the confidence that comes from successfully navigating the world of work. As the program has evolved over its six-decade history, the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) has put greater emphasis on youth development. City officials are also working with private sector partners, non-profit organizations, and others to help place participants.
Applications for New York City’s SYEP CareerReady and Special Initiatives tracks opened on February 14, and the general community-based application period for all youth opens on March 1. The CareerReady track is designed for students between the ages of 14 and 21 from select DOE schools, while the Special Initiatives track offers tailored opportunities for youth aged 14-24 who are:
- Residents of select New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments;
- Homeless or have run away;
- Justice- or court-involved;
- In foster care;
- Receiving preventative services through the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS);
- New York City Human Resources Administration participants receiving Cash Assistance via Business Link;
- Students from Access and alternative schools; or
- Have experienced gender-based violence.
“This record-breaking expansion of the Summer Youth Employment Program comes at a critical time for our young people,” said Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives Sheena Wright. “This historic investment will help ensure our young people are given the opportunity to gain the experience and skills needed to secure a successful future. We are so grateful for all the employer partners and community-based organizations committed to the career and professional development of our city’s young people.”
“For many communities, summer youth employment opportunities are a critical chance for young people to begin a life of making good choices,” said New York City Deputy Mayor Phil Banks. “Mayor Adams often talks about going upstream to address the systemic issues that cause poverty, crime, and violence, and for many young people in this city, that means giving them an opportunity early on in life to make good decisions by empowering them with a substantive way to spend their summer investing in themselves. I applaud Mayor Adams for the creation of this program, and I look forward to working with all city agencies to implement it.”
“I have always described the Summer Youth Employment Program as a rite of passage for me and several generations of New York City young people,” said DYCD Commissioner Bill Chong. “My first SYEP job was a neighborhood beautification project on the Lower East Side in 1973. I earned $320 that summer, but more importantly, it gave me the work and life skills to pursue a four-decade career in public service. I am living proof of the power of a first job. Mayor Adams’ unprecedented commitment to SYEP comes at a time when we need more opportunities than ever to keep young people safe, productive, and engaged.”
“With this unprecedented expansion of paid summer jobs, Mayor Adams has made a powerful investment in New York City’s future,” said David Fischer, executive director, Mayor’s Office of Youth Employment. “Each of these 100,000 opportunities offers the potential for a young New Yorker to find their path toward a future of career success and economic security.”
“Every student should graduate from our schools on a path to a career, and the Summer Youth Employment Program gives young people a jump-start on that journey,” said New York City Schools Chancellor David C. Banks. “Providing opportunities for 100,000 young people will ensure learning doesn’t end when school lets out for the summer, while providing an enriching experience.”
“Members of the New York City Police Department are privileged to encounter young people everywhere they work, across all five boroughs,” said New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell. “Their mission is uplifted each summer when they partner with the city’s Department of Youth and Community Development to offer options to some of the kids they encounter who they realize have far too few of them. There is no greater gift than to help kids make better choices, realize expanded opportunities, and broaden their horizons by meeting the fullest measure of their potential. Kids are the future of the city, and the NYPD looks forward to increasing the number of kids working with both uniform and civilian employees in the summer of 2022 as part of this program that represents not only an investment in each individual child but also in the city’s collective good.”
“As one of largest employers of SYEP youth, we are thrilled that Mayor Adams is expanding this workforce development program in such a dynamic way with thousands of new positions,” said incoming New York City Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “Investing in our city’s young people through SYEP is an investment in our recovery and in our parks system. At Parks, summer jobs for our city’s young people will help inspire the next generation of stewards as they learn about the health and maintenance of green spaces and the vast programming we offer visitors near and far.”
“As our city bounces back from the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re thrilled to announce a historic summer employment expansion for our young people, which will help them get back to normal and get prepared for their careers,” said Department of Social Services Commissioner Gary P. Jenkins. “Through this initiative, the city will offer 100,000 job opportunities for youth and, more importantly, will work to uplift young New Yorkers with care, compassion, and a holistic approach that recognizes a healthier society is a more engaged society, with options and opportunity for all.”
