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BOSTON
- Thursday, March 16, 2023 - Mayor Michelle Wu and the Office of Youth Employment and Opportunity (YEO) today
announced the expansion of the SuccessLink Summer Youth Employment program
for 2023. The program is now accepting applications. Boston youth ages
14-18 can apply for in-person and hybrid summer job opportunities at
nonprofits, community-based organizations, and City agencies. This year,
the City made an unprecedented $18.7M investment in youth jobs, the largest
in Boston’s history. This funding will support 5,000 youth jobs in
partnership with local nonprofits and community organizations and 2,000
City based youth jobs, making the City the largest employer for youth
summer jobs in Boston. The program’s expansion is part of a larger effort
to incentivize both nonprofit and corporate employers’ commitment to reach
pre-COVID summer job levels.
“Ensuring
that every young person across our city has access to job opportunities is
critical in our work to lay a foundation for Boston’s youth to grow and
thrive,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “The City’s youth summer jobs
program is critical in empowering our youth and connecting them with
opportunity. This year, we are expanding the number of youth jobs available
and deepening our partnerships which will allow our young people explore
careers and develop their skills. I’m grateful to all of our partners and employers
for their commitment to our young people and encourage every teenager and
young adult to apply for a summer job.”
“As
a city, choosing to invest in young people will always be the right
decision. Youth jobs are essential to giving young people a space to
develop themselves into young professionals; exposure to various industries
and occupations; explore where their interest can intersect with the impact
they desire to have in the world; to build relationships with trusted
advisors and develop skills to be prepared for future career and
educational opportunities,” said Rashad Cope, Deputy Chief of the Worker
Empowerment Cabinet and the Office of Youth Employment & Opportunity.
“We know how critical it is to ensure every young person has
access to job opportunities, and collectively we are committed to this,
alongside our incredible partners and employers who make these employment
experiences possible for Boston youth.”
Led
by the Office of Youth Employment and Opportunity, SuccessLink is designed
to not only recruit and hire youth, but also to ensure that their
employment experience is engaging, meaningful, and advances their
professional and personal development. Last fall, Mayor Wu established the Worker Empowerment Cabinet to advance the
wellbeing of Boston workers, led by Chief Trinh Nguyen. Expanding economic
opportunities for youth through access to quality jobs, skills training,
and career pipelines is a key priority of the cabinet. The Office of Youth
Employment and Opportunity, formerly the Department of Youth Engagement and
Employment (DYEE), was moved to the Worker Empowerment Cabinet to lead this
work.
“Getting
a summer job can be life-changing for young people in terms of gaining work
readiness skills, identifying career interests, obtaining a mentor, and in
many instances, getting that first, memorable paycheck,” said Trinh
Nguyen, Chief of Worker Empowerment. “The City of Boston is grateful to
the many community partners coming together to provide these opportunities
for our young people. We look forward to working with all of them to help
build for the future.”
Each
year, YEO partners with a wide range of nonprofit organizations, City
agencies, and lead youth employment providers, including Action for Boston Community Development, the Boston Private Industry
Council, Artists for Humanity, John Hancock MLK Scholars, and the Boys and Girls Club of Boston to
create youth summer jobs. Youth have the opportunity to get connected to
various industries that provide inspiration for long-term careers such as
the arts, health care, STEM, sports and recreation, education, and public
administration.
“SuccessLink
is the foundation for the entire Mayor’s Summer Jobs Program. It is
the one source for summer youth employment that is open to all Boston
teenagers, regardless of neighborhood or high school,” said Neil
Sullivan, Executive Director of the Boston Private Industry Council.
“The young people who connect with private sector opportunities through the
PIC often credit their prior SuccessLink job as preparing them for a summer
internship in healthcare, finance, life sciences, architecture, or other
profession.”
“ABCD
is pleased to partner with the City of Boston to ensure that young people
of Boston have an abundance of summer employment options,” said Sharon
Scott-Chandler, President & CEO of ABCD, Inc. “As a longstanding
provider of access to youth employment and career development services
through our SummerWorks program (and other programs), ABCD understands very
well that these initiatives build a foundation to support academic achievement
and future employment successes.”
“Artists
For Humanity is excited to grow our partnership with the City of Boston's
Office of Youth Employment and Opportunity this summer by providing
hundreds of teen jobs with meaningful summer learning experiences for our
City's young people,” said Anna Yu, Executive Director of Artists For
Humanity. “With the ambitious vision of YEO, and hundreds of amazing
partner organizations, Summer 2023 is on track to be the best and biggest
year ever for creative teen employment in Boston! We are honored to play a
part in helping to make this possible."
This
year, YEO has expanded its youth jobs grantmaking efforts to provide more
funding directly to nonprofit organizations to design job experiences,
remove barriers to enrollment and transfer administrative responsibilities
to allow for a more streamlined process. These expanded efforts will
encourage greater collaboration, coalition building, and learn and earn
models among higher education institutions and job providers in the youth
employment space.
To
ensure that all youth have equitable access to these opportunities, the
City will continue to support organizations that focus on proven at-risk
youth populations (e.g. justice-involved youth, foster care, youth experiencing
homelessness, etc.) YEO will work to ensure that disadvantaged youth get
access to employment opportunities through the Massachusetts Commonwealth Corporation YouthWorks partnership.
Additionally, the department will again work with the Mayor’s Office for
Immigrant Advancement (MOIA) to provide immigrant youth with hands-on leadership and skills training,
regardless of immigration status.
“People
don’t realize how quickly your status can change and how much it can limit
your opportunities. As a former Dreamer, I know what it’s like to feel frustrated
by that because I had so much to offer to the world,” said Monique Tú
Nguyen, Executive Director of the Mayor's Office for Immigrant Advancement.
“Through opportunities like this, we can ensure that this generation of
youth has opportunities that I didn’t have, and the world can benefit from
their full potential.”
The
SuccessLink webpage has been updated to make it
easier for young people to navigate the application process. Youth can view
job postings, see a list of required documents, and apply directly to the
organizations. The Office of Youth Employment and Opportunity also offers
application assistance. Youth can visit the office in person, Monday -
Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 1483 Tremont Street in Roxbury, or call
617-635-4202 to get help.
The
Office of Youth Employment and Opportunity will also be hosting a Youth Job
and Resource Fair at the Reggie Lewis Center on Saturday, April 22, 11 a.m.
- 3 p.m. Youth will have the opportunity to connect with 100+ summer
employers, access youth resources, receive job application assistance, and
win prizes. Refreshments will be provided. Parents and/or guardians are
welcome to attend with their youth.
Applying
for a summer position with SuccessLink does not guarantee a job but the
goal is to place as many youth as possible. Applications will be accepted
on a rolling basis. Youth are encouraged to get their applications in
early. For more information on the 2023 SuccessLink Summer Youth Employment
program, visit boston.gov/summer-jobs.
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