Gothamist: NYC's Summer Youth Employment Program expands to offer 100,000 opportunities

Gothamist: NYC's Summer Youth Employment Program expands to offer 100,000 opportunities | February 2022: The city’s Summer Youth Employment Program will be expanding this year to include 100,000 young people, Mayor Eric Adams announced Tuesday.

The mayor had pledged to grow the program as part of the multi-pronged plan to address gun violence in the city he announced last month. 

“We’re doing it because of Jayquan,” Adams said of Jayquan McKenley, the 18-year-old from the South Bronx who was shot to death in early February.

Adams said the summer jobs program will help address public safety while introducing teens and young adults to new career opportunities. It will also draw them out of their communities at a time when many teens have been more isolated than ever, he said, calling it “one solution to a multitude of problems.” 

“There are young people in this city, they are born in one square mile, they go to school in one square mile, they eat in one square mile, they stay within one square mile,” Adams said at a press conference. “A job, internship … is more than just putting money in pockets … it’s a way to understand there’s a world out there that they deserve to be a part of.”

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