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Municipal Management
Syracuse, N.Y., youth given career exploration opportunities through summer youth program
Syracuse youth play basketball. (Photo provided) By NICHOLETTE CARLSON | The Municipal
While the city of Syracuse, N.Y., has previously run a summer youth program for 16- to 18-year-old students to work for six weeks during the summer — many at city hall — a summer program for younger students was recently established as well in 2020. This summer fellows program was organized through the Allyn Foundation with the help of 32 different partner organizations. Ideally, the goal is for students to do the summer fellows program from age 13 to 16 and then continue on with the CNY Works program from age 16 to 18. The only requirement is that the participating children live in Syracuse and provide their age and address. Meg O’Connell, executive director of the Allyn Foundation, stated this summer fellows program was “piloted partly because that other traditional program that was run by CNY Works, the state didn’t release the funding.” Therefore, the summer youth program for older students run by CNY Works was unavailable during 2020, leaving a gap in employment opportunities for youth. The Allyn Foundation realized, due to a high level of poverty in the area, there are many children who are younger, around age 13 and 14, who need a way to keep busy during the summer and need to make money. Each participating youth was given a stipend for participating in the program. Students under age 14 were given $299, while those age 14 and over were given $599. This added incentive helps to keep the students engaged, and O’Connell noted, the program discovered many of the students used that money toward school supplies. The city of Syracuse, N.Y., was willing to use American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 funding to assist with forming the summer fellows 54 THE MUNICIPAL | MARCH 2022
program in collaboration with the Allyn Foundation and local youth organizations. Each program lasted between four to six weeks and had a different emphasis. For example, one program held through the Good Life Foundation focused on teaching the children entrepreneurship and had them come up with business plans. However, each program was required to teach financial literacy and provide mental health services. The most used financial literacy program was the Center for Financial Requirement where students learned how to budget and were able to go to a bank, set up their own bank account and begin to save their own money. Mental health services were also an important requirement in each of the programs. O’Connell stressed how speakers would come to talk to the youth about “mental health, self care and how they are dealing with Covid.” One goal was to teach students how to create a proper work-and-life balance. Some programs also did an hour of math and reading each day. While some students who participated in the program were also
