OUR WORLD this year LANDSCAPE OVERVIEW

While 2022 welcomed some shifts back to pre-pandemic norms, it also welcomed new, permanent changes in the workforce and in the world at large. Young people have been required to adapt and learn even more than generations before, all while continuing to face systemic issues that persist in our communities.

Youth employment continues to be an important force in the lives of youth by providing additional household income, keeping youth disconnected from the criminal justice system, and improving mental health and education outcomes. However, most importantly, it helps set up young people for success by teaching the most critical skills to assist with seeking and engaging in future employment.

Much of the world has gone digital, creating both open doors and extra limitations. Providing spaces and opportunities for young people to learn financial literacy, digital literacy, and other critical workforce skills is necessary to ensure success for Philadelphians growing into the world of work.

Young people in Philadelphia have continued to persevere, and PYN has continued to pioneer the youth employment landscape to match their tenacity by equipping them with the tools to succeed.

The realities of youth employment

Employment for young people ages 16-24 improved from 2021 but was still shy of pre-pandemic levels (Labor Statistics Bureau)

YOUTH EXCELLENCE:

Pa Youth Vote

PA Youth Vote, a WorkReady Summer partner, collaborated with BOLT to provide the “Community Rising” programming for 25 WorkReady Summer participants in 2022.

In this program, participants discussed issues that impact them, their families and their communities. The young participants chose to focus their research and action on gun violence, and furthered their research through community organizers who were invited as guest speakers.

As a culmination of their project, the youth participants made a visit to the Capitol building in Harrisburg on August 8th, 2022 to appeal to Senators and Representatives for legislation aimed at addressing gun violence in Philadelphia. A second event was held on August 9th, 2022 at Philadelphia City Hall in partnership with Just Act and the Mayor’s Office. Both events allowed participants to collaborate with youth coalitions across the city to organize this important opportunity for youth to speak and adults to listen.

The year with PYN

2021-2022 RECAP

In the past year, PYN provided 10,858 total opportunities, allowing Philadelphia’s youth to access paid work experiences, learn critical life skills, network with peers and mentors, explore potential career paths and prepare for the world of work. PYN programs are uniquely designed to meet the specific needs and concerns of young people from ages 12-24.

WorkReady Summer served over 7,500 youth in 2022, marking the highest participation in over five years and exceeding pre-pandemic opportunity levels.

Participation numbers: 6700 7100 6100 6600

7500

88% 75%

Of Summer youth surveyed: said that they were exposed to new ideas that will guide their future career choices. were more interested in pursuing further education and training after their work experience.

To create equitable work experiences and eliminate barriers to youth participation in programming, PYN increased youth pay to $11 per hour for wage-based experiences and roughly $1,000 for incentivized experiences.

In 2022

$8.6 million

$ $ was paid out to young people through work experiences –a significant increase from $5.5 million in 2021

This $3.1 million increase was only made possible by PYN’s dedicated network of workforce champions who fund PYN’s work.

The work experiences and connections to caring adults provided by PYN’s 90+ program partners and 650+ worksites allow young people to gain early employment experience in a variety of industries and earn a vital income that both interrupts cycles of poverty and invigorates the local economy.