Worcester Rep. Announces $10M For Massachusetts Youth Employment

Email to a friend Permalink

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Michelle Johnstone, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

$10 million dollars has been inserted in the budget to fund YouthWorks this summer, a program that aims to employ youth ages 14-21. Additionally, $9 million has been set aside for next summer.

“For all of us who have worked to get this funding within the budget there is great satisfaction that now we actually have money for this summer ($10m) and next summer ($9m) and good planning can happen for great youth employment opportunities,” said Representative Mary S. Keefe of the 15th Worcester District.

Rep. Keefe knows too well the frustration that young people feel when it comes time to search for a job. With that in mind, she has fought to create meaningful job opportunities to the youth of Worcester and around the state.

Before becoming a State Representative, Keefe worked as a community organizaer in the city of Worcester, where she saw the impacts of the extremely high youth unemployment rate head on.

According to the Center for Labor Market Studies out of Northeastern University in Boston, only 29% of youth in Massachusetts are employed, the lowest number in 37 years. In communities of color, the employment rate is 20%.

Youth Works is a program that seeks to change that number in an effort to put Massachusetts youth to work.

“I would like to contribute to today’s conversation about ending poverty and focus on the Youth Works allocation of $10m within the supplemental budget. YouthWorks dollars put thousands of young people to work each summer across our Commonwealth,” Keefe said during her maiden speech to the House on June 18.

“Work is how we reshape the world and each persons gifts and talents contribute to that reshaping. This allocation is the needed hope that we can and will nurture our young people to be productive and contributing citizens of our Commonwealth,” she said in the same speech.

Related Articles

• HS Seniors: All-Expense-Paid Opportunity for National Youth Science Camp
• Creating a Network for Worcester Youth
• Governor Patrick Champions Youth Initiative in Worcester
• Hanover Theatre’s Youth Program Takes Stage for “Legally Blonde”
• Grace Ross: We Must Do Better for Our Youth

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

Email to a friend Permalink