Volume 30 No. 3
March 2014
Peduto overhauls youth summer jobs program
Aquaponics opens doors on the NS
By Alyse Horn
By Alyse Horn
As part of his reform on the city, Mayor Bill Peduto is transforming the Summer Youth Employment Program to benefit as many adolescents in Pittsburgh as possible. According to a press release, SYEP currently serves 400 young people out of nearly 1,000 who apply. Mayor Peduto said he has created a Mayoral Task Force for Summer Youth Employment Opportunities “to ensure that every young person in the City of Pittsburgh who wants to has both the opportunity for meaningful career development and the ability to earn a little extra money through this program.” “Through this Task Force, I will engage the business community, labor, nonprofits, foundations, and partners at the national level to help us reimagine this program to serve more young people and provide a clear pathway to their future success,” Mayor Peduto said. According to the City of Pittsburgh’s official website, the SYEP provides a six week work experience for youth ages 1421. Work assignments follow
cer and the Chief Education and Neighborhood Reinvestment Officer and will include 10 additional members including a least one representative each from the philanthropic community, the business community, organized labor, and the Pittsburgh Public Schools and at least two members of Pittsburgh City Council.
The Northview Heights Family Center underwent renovations in August 2013, but there is still more to come. The family center will be home to an aquaponics studio administered by the Door Campaign. Created by Quincy Kofi Swatson, a Manchester native, aquaponics combines aquatic fish farming and hydroponics. Hydroponics is when plants grow in mineral nutrient water without soil. Swatson said the idea is to have a tank filled with farm raised fish and then to have the plants growing above the water, which will create a circle of life. The fish will be fed and then the fish waste will be consumed by the plants. Swatson said fish waste is the perfect nutrient supplement for the plants. “The bottom layer [of the aquaponics system] will be the fish tank, and water will be cycled into the top shelf of plants,” Swatson said. “The plants will absorb the [waste] and clean the water and it will
See SYEP, page 8
See Aquaponics, page 30
Courtesy of PSYEP 2013 Report
Moving the Lives of Kids (MLK) Mural Project provided youth with an opportunity to consider art as an occupational choice. They planned and painted a mural depicting Pittsburgh’s rich Jazz heritage, located in the Strip District. two tracks: conservation-related outdoor work where youth crews help to restore or maintain public properties and parks; or internships in public sector or private sector offices performing a wide range of business or clerical functions. Youth are paid $7.25 per hour and work six hours per day. Mayor Peduto said the Task Force will be co-chaired by the Chief Administration Offi-