City Invests $79M In Summer Jobs For Any Youth That Wants One

NEW YORK, NY — Any young New Yorker who wants a summer job will soon be able to get one thanks to a $79 million expansion of the city's youth employment program, according to Mayor Eric Adams.

The mayor announced Tuesday that, under the 2023 city budget, the Summer Youth Employment Program will be expanded to include 100,000 jobs for city youth, the most in the program's six-decade history.

The $79 million expansion will make the program "universal" given that it will bring the number of jobs offered in line with the number of youth who are interested each year, according to officials.

"Every young person should have an opportunity," Adams said. "A job, internship, exposure is more than just putting money in their pockets to help their family — it is a way to understand that there is a world out there that stye deserve to be a part of."

Adams first floated the idea of expanding the employment program to "every young person that's looking for a job" when unveiling his Blueprint To End Gun Violence earlier this year, though his administration had released few details on how they would do so until this week.

City officials said increasing the program from its 75,000 jobs to the 100,000 would mean all youth who apply and want the job offer will get a spot.

The city's summer jobs program receives around 130,000 applications to its lottery system each year, but a portion of those applicants end up not taking the job given travel plans or other job opportunities, officials said Tuesday.

The jobs, which include paid internships, will span technology, finance, advertising, consulting and other fields through the city's partnership with local businesses and organizations, officials said.

Adams and lawmakers — including City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, whose support was needed for the budget deal — have pointed to the job opportunities as a way to prevent the city's youth from engaging in gun violence.

"If you want to stop someone from holding steel gun in their hand, give them an opportunity to hold the tools they need to be productive as a citizen," Adams said.

The mayor noted that the job program can also lead to more diversity in city agencies given that internships and summer jobs often lead to a career path. Both he and the city's Commissioner of Youth and Community Development had their first jobs in the Summer Youth Employment Program, they pointed out Tuesday.

The value to a future career was certainly the case for Bronx high schooler Jacob Montanez, who spoke at the press conference Tuesday about his summer job with the city at a science camp.

"When I combine the skills and experience I gained through SYEP, I know I have a bright future ahead of me," Montanez said. "I know that I’m ready for what life has to offer me."