Mayor Celebrates First Week of Youth Summer Jobs Program

Building on Mayor Walsh's commitment to providing meaningful employment opportunities to Boston's youth, Mayor Martin J. Walsh this week is celebrating the first week of the Mayor's Summer Youth Jobs Program, which over the course of the summer will employ over 3,000 young people.

"One of the most valuable investments we can make as a city is in our children, and providing them with every opportunity to learn and build their skills early on," said Mayor Walsh. "The Youth Summer Jobs Program is a critical program that is a reflection of our priorities and our commitment to ensuring that Boston's youth stay ahead and are equipped with the tools and confidence to succeed in their future careers."

The Mayor's Summer Jobs Program works to empower youth by connecting them to jobs that provide mentorship and guidance, and promote skill building and networking opportunities that create lasting professional pathways to success. Summer opportunities include paid positions with Zoo New England, radio stations, Boston municipal government departments and more. Individuals hired through the program will have the opportunity to work as tutors, mentors, and counselors at many summer day programs.

"The Mayor's Summer Youth Jobs Program is an invaluable program that aims to empower, uplift, and position youth for long lasting success," said Chief of Health and Human Services, Marty Martinez. "Youth participating in the program receive mentorship and guidance and critical skill building in safe and trusted spaces, giving youth the tools needed to thrive in their future endeavors."

"Youth summer jobs are a pivotal opportunity for young people to explore their potential career interests, while expanding leadership and accountability qualities in preparation of future career and educational endeavors;" said Rashad Cope, Director of the Division of Youth Engagement & Employment for the City of Boston. "Mayor Walsh and the Division of Youth Engagement & Employment believe in our young people and the City of Boston's continued investment in youth summer jobs paves the way for Boston's emerging workforce."

Last summer 3,015 young people were employed through the Mayor's Summer Jobs Program at over 100 community-based organizations. The program also includes a school year jobs program which hires over 500 youth each year.

"This is my first job, and it's giving me experience in communication so that I can benefit in the future," said Alex Tieu, a sophomore at Josiah Quincy Upper School, who works at BCYF's Youth Engagement & Employment office helping youth obtain employment. "It's important for me to work so I can increase my professional development. And I hope while working with YEE, I can help other young people who are also just starting their first job."

As part of the Mayor's Summer Youth Jobs Program - the Mayor's Office of Health & Human Services will work to complement the core Jobs Program and further support youth by launching a series of five additional youth-focused initiatives. The initiatives will focus on building healthy peer relationships and domestic violence awareness, supervisor training focused on building and strengthening youth-adult relationships, entering youth into a Learn and Earn College Credit three hour course, and a community focused financial literacy education.

Additionally, through a partnership with Commonwealth Corporation, youth that self-identify as homeless, being in foster care, court or gang involved, DYS-committed or having experienced juvenile arrest or probation, experiencing poor academic performance, a child of a single parent, having a disability or special needs, lack of fluency in English or being a foreign immigrant, or  being a teen parent will be able to participate in the Signal Success Program, a 15 hour career and skill development to set up youth for success during and after the completion of the Mayor's Summer Youth Jobs Program.

Boston youth were able to apply for a summer job online 24 hours a day for over a month through the SuccessLink portal. The selected youth were chosen for a position through a combination of a lottery process or workplace selection.

Boston is a leader in youth employment across the nation with a focus on offering meaningful employment opportunities to young people ages 15-18. Mayor Walsh has made youth summer employment a priority for his Administration, pledging to place 10,000 Boston youth in meaningful summer employment through partnerships with other youth employment agencies and local businesses. In the fiscal year 2019 budget, Mayor Walsh allocated over $5 million to fund youth jobs through the Department of Youth Engagement & Employment. In addition, Mayor Walsh has encouraged private employers to hire Boston youth for the summer. This Friday, he will join representatives from John Hancock for a celebration of their MLK Scholar's program, which last year employed 650 scholars at 65 nonprofit sites.

For more information on the Mayor's Summer Jobs program, please visit here.

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