NYC officials promised its summer youth employment program would make the city safer. Does it work?

On February 15th, just weeks after a bullet grazed an 11-month-old girl in the Bronx, a 19-year-old was fatally shot during her shift at Burger King, and two police officers were killed in Harlem, city leaders gathered for an announcement about summer youth employment.

This year, Mayor Eric Adams announced, a record-breaking 100,000 young New Yorkers would be working on the city’s dime.

“Our summer youth employment is crucial,” he told reporters at a press conference.

One official after the next said the boost in funding would help make communities safer by giving young people opportunities to thrive.

“We know that gang violence and gun violence is real, and it’s pervasive,” said the mayor, who included more funding for summer jobs as part of his Blueprint to End Gun Violence. “But if you want to stop someone from holding a steel gun in their hand, give them an opportunity to hold the tools they need to be productive as a citizen. And we know we can do it if we invest in the right way.”

Council Speaker Adrienne Adams echoed the mayor, adding, “These types of investments are essential to address and prevent the increased violence that our city and many other cities across the nation are facing.”

And Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who for years has pushed to expand summer youth jobs and lobbied to keep the program intact during the pandemic, also tied the effort to public safety. “It is so important that we’re all together dealing with this gun violence,” he said.

Indeed, for years New York City has set aside taxpayer dollars to pay young people to work, with the promise that the investment would help them in school, prepare them for the workforce, and keep them out of trouble.

Gothamist spoke with more than a dozen researchers, city officials, employers, and youth participants about the work. They praised New York City’s program, while also noting ways it might further its impact. A growing body of research has found summer youth employment can prevent criminal justice contact, at least temporarily. One study suggests it can even save lives.

But many young people who want to participate aren’t selected. And for most of those who are, the jobs will end this month. At a time when violent crime is still above pre-pandemic levels and many New Yorkers are concerned about public safety, some interviewed wondered whether the city ought to add even more slots next summer – and consider keeping young people employed year-round.

Read the rest of the story on Gothamist.