New York, NY —

School's out and its summer job time for teenagers. But with all the close calls in budget decisions it wasn't clear if there was going to be much of a Summer youth Employment Program. The city usually looks to hire about 40,000 teens but with 13,000 of these positions funded by the state it wasn't until June 30 that the financial committment was confirmed. So, we asked Radio Rookie reporter Shakima Swain to tell us first hand how difficult it's been to navigate the job market this summer.



This story was produced by Beth Fertig. Radio Rookies is supported by the Youth Initiatives Program of the Open Society Institute, the GE Fund, the Ridgefield Foundation, Con Edison, the Fred L. Emerson Foundation, the Morgan Stanley Foundation, and the Jean L. and Robert A. Stern Foundation. Learn more at www.radiorookies.org