Bracing For Another Pandemic Summer, Youth Advocates Call For Jobs And College Help
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Mayor Bill de Blasio at a SYEP event in 2016.
Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
As New York City’s teenagers and young adults face another summer disrupted by the pandemic, advocates and community leaders are warning that the lack of jobs and opportunities for this generation could have dire consequences.
Citing the budget crisis caused by the pandemic, last year Mayor Bill de Blasio gutted the long-standing Summer Youth Employment Program, the largest youth jobs program in the country. After intense lobbying, de Blasio restored $51 million of the $124 million budget for the rebranded SYEP Summer Bridge program. However, the reduction in funding meant that jobs were available for 35,000 teenagers and young adults, less than half of the usual number.