The Peru Gazette

Speaker Carl Heastie, Labor Committee Chair Harry Bronson and Human Services Committee Chair Maritza Davila today announced that the Enacted State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2024-25 Budget includes $55 million for the Summer Youth Employment Program, which provides work opportunities to thousands of young people every year.

“The Summer Youth Employment Program gives young people across New York the opportunity to earn a real income and gain vital skills that will serve them well in their education and in the workforce,” Speaker Heastie said. “The Assembly Majority will continue working to give our kids the tools and resources they need to succeed.”

“The Summer Youth Employment Program provides pivotal and foundational experience to young people throughout the state. It connects them with the community while teaching them real world experience and skills that will serve them as they embark upon their future education and careers. Most importantly, is the opportunity to earn money while learning these skills, setting them on the pathway to success,” said Assemblymember Bronson.

“Increasing the funding for the Summer Youth Employment Program will give more young people the opportunity to earn a real wage and get real on the job experience,” Assemblymember Davila said. “This program provides thousands of New Yorkers every summer with the chance to get important experience and skills that will serve them both academically and as they get older and enter the workforce.”

The Assembly Majority fought to include an additional $5 million for the Summer Youth Employment Program in the enacted budget, bringing the total for the program to $55 million. The program connects youth across the state between the ages of 14 and 20 from low income families with summer employment and educational experiences, typically entry level positions where they earn at least minimum wage for their region. Between 2016 and 2021, the program served approximately 100,000 youth across the state.

The budget also includes $38.8 million for additional youth employment programming in localities that are also involved in the Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) Initiative.