When New York City announced its plan to eliminate the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) in the summer of 2020, youth advocates, workforce development champions, and above all young people, worked to save the program. As a part of this effort, Teens Take Charge, a youth-led advocacy organization, launched the #SaveSYEP campaign, which called on city elects, nonprofits, community-based organizations, and others invested in youth talent development to support the full reinstatement of SYEP. On July 1, 2020, the City released its budget, which restored 35,000 of the original 74,000 opportunity slots. Although HERE to HERE and its partners did not achieve full restoration, we applaud the work of our partners, especially Bronx youth, who worked tirelessly to hold public officials accountable.
HERE to HERE and its partners know SYEP is an investment in the future well-being of all young people. We continue to build the case and advocate for better summer work programs and an enhanced SYEP.
Download SaveSYEP-Action-Tool-Kit-1.pdf