Summer jobs may be at risk for teens
Leaders fear economy's effect on city programs
The sour economy is threatening local summer job programs for city teenagers, a decades-old safety net designed to keep youth off the streets and prevent violence during the bloodiest months of the year.
Leaders of the city's three main job programs say they are worried that private charities will cut back on donations and companies will scale back on summer help, making it impossible for them to provide jobs for the thousands of teens and young adults who want summer employment.
Last year, the three programs provided 9,600 jobs for teens in banks, child-care centers, clothing stores, nonprofit agencies, and other workplaces. This year, leaders say they are not sure they can match that figure and fear that thousands of young people could be left to fend for themselves after school lets out.
"It is difficult even in good times to get private-sector jobs for these kids, and it's going to be even tougher this year," said John J. Drew, executive vice president of Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD), which, among other services, subsidizes jobs in nonprofit agencies for youths aged 14 to 21 from poor families.
"A lot of work sites are telling us, 'We can't take as many,' " because entry-level positions that were in the past filled by high school students are being snapped up by college students, said Aaron Tanimoto, the agency's program director. "You can see how the economy is bumping everybody down."
The Boston Private Industry Council, a group led by city businesses, provided jobs for 4,000 teens in private firms last summer. This year, the council has se cured 2,000 jobs from major firms such as State Street Bank,
"I know the economy is down, but I also know there seems to be a sense of civic commitment on the rise, so we've got to tap into the latter," said Neil Sullivan, executive director of the council. "We've got to tap into the urge to make a difference."
Mayor Thomas M. Menino said his office provided jobs for 3,600 teens last summer, and he hopes to match or exceed that figure this year. But the task will not be easy, he said, even as he noted that summer jobs have long been a centerpiece of his agenda to stop violence and build economic opportunities.
"I'm always worried about the economy, and today it's much more difficult, and we have to understand that," Menino said in a telephone interview after testifying to Congress about illegal gun sales. "And so we're going to be aggressive, and my staff is going to be aggressive, and we're going to try to fill every request. But I'm concerned. You have to be concerned."
In the 1960s and 1970s, ABCD, flush with funding, provided summer jobs for 6,000 Boston youths. Last year, it received 3,000 applications from teens. But hobbled by cuts from state and federal governments, the agency provided only 1,100 jobs. This year, agency officials expect 4,000 applications but have only enough funding for 500 jobs. Officials hope to raise $300,000 from private donors to fund an additional 600 jobs.
"We're all competing for fewer dollars," Drew said. "People who give feel a little tight. And foundations get a little tighter."
There is apparently no shortage of demand. Yesterday, hundreds of teens streamed into the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury to fill out applications at an ABCD-sponsored job fair.
Chris Baez, a 20-year-old from Jamaica Plain, came to the fair after working last summer in an office at the Jamaica Plain Area Planning Council.
"It was a good experience; it was helpful," Baez said. "It had me off the streets and staying out of trouble. And the paycheck, too - got some shorts, some summer clothes. You know, helped Mom out, too."
Derrick Hannah, an 18-year-old senior at Boston Arts Academy, said he wanted any job, so long as it paid well.
"At this point, it doesn't matter," said Hannah, an aspiring singer who wants to attend Roxbury Community College and then Berklee College of Music. "I'm just trying to get money for college."
Tanimoto, the program director, said that with so many teens seeking jobs, "the reality is someone is going to pick them up and show them how to make money" this summer. He just wants to make sure that person is a responsible employer and not a criminal.
Michael Levenson can be reached at mlevenson@globe.com.
