Over the past few years, I’ve had hundreds of conversations with young people who fit President Obama’s description of “opportunity youth.” They are men and women between the ages of 16 and 24 who are disengaged from school and disconnected from the workforce. I’ve also had countless conversations with the teachers, coaches, social-service providers, organizers […]
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Over the past few years, I've had hundreds of conversations with young people who fit President Obama's description of “opportunity youth.” They are men and women between the ages of 16 and 24 who are disengaged from school and disconnected from the workforce. I've also had countless conversations with the teachers, coaches, social-service providers, organizers and law enforcement officers who — for better or worse — engage with these young people every day.
In each of these conversations, I've asked what would help keep a young person engaged in school and away from the kind of activities that could get them entangled in the criminal justice system. Nearly without exception, the answer is the same: a job.
That's why, during my campaign for mayor, I outlined plans to establish a Youth Service Corps that would give young people a chance to earn a paycheck and build work experience while feeling that sense of pride that comes with contributing to their community.
There's plenty of anecdotal evidence of the importance of youth employment. Academic studies confirm the anecdotes. According to a recent study from Stamford University, gaining exposure to job opportunities at a young age improves educational outcomes and decreases the chances that a young adult will end up incarcerated.
After making the Youth Service Corps a priority during my first few months in office, we officially launched it last week. With $2.2 million in private funding from generous supporters, we've kicked off the first phase of the Youth Service Corps, creating 200 year-round, part-time jobs for young men and women in Hartford. We aim to expand the Youth Service Corps to 500 members.
I'm particularly grateful to our partners who stepped up and donated the overwhelming share of funding to the program: The Hartford, Aetna Foundation, Travelers Foundation, Barbara Dalio and the Dalio Foundation, and the Newman's Own Foundation. These partners quickly grasped the power of a job to help get young people re-engaged and make our community stronger and safer.
The Youth Service Corps isn't just a typical summer job program. It's a year-round, part-time commitment, with members working consistently under the supervision of a “coach.” Members aren't selected by lottery or first-come, first-served. The members of the Youth Service Corps are referred by community partners who are helping us to identify those young people who are at high risk of heading down the wrong path.
The Youth Service Corps is just one part of a broader effort to expand youth employment. For the Promise Zone Youth Employment for Success (Promise Zone YES!) program, the city recently secured a $2 million federal grant, which will help 200 additional high school seniors find long-term employment and put 75 out-of-school young people to work.
Combining the $2.2 million for Youth Service Corps and the $2 million for the Promise Zone YES! Program with $1 million from the Department of Housing, we've already put together more than $5 million to support new job opportunities for nearly 500 young men and women in Hartford — on top of Hartford's existing summer youth employment program.
There are thousands of young men and women eager for work experience here in Hartford, so we have a lot more work to do. But we've taken the first step. And if we stay focused on continuing to expand employment opportunities for Hartford's young people, the result will be safer streets, stronger neighborhoods and thousands of lives changed for the better.
If your company is interested in helping to make Hartford both safer and stronger, please contact Diana Tomezsko, director of strategic partnerships for the city of Hartford, at diana.tomezsko@hartford.gov.
Luke Bronin is the mayor of the city of Hartford.