Chicago City Wire

Mayor Johnson aims to increase summer youth employment by over 4,000 young people this year for a total of 28,000 jobs.

CHICAGO - On March 5, 2024 Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) announced the launch of the One Summer Chicago (OSC) application portal. The City aims to connect an additional 4,000 young people to paid opportunities and life-skills development programs this summer. 

“The most important investment that we can make in our City is to put W-2’s into the hands of young people,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “The young people of Chicago are ready and eager to get to work. We are mobilizing across City departments, sister agencies, labor unions, community-based organizations, the philanthropic community, small businesses, and large corporations to meet this moment for our young people. 

“When we talk about investing in youth employment, we are really talking about investing in public safety, workforce development, poverty alleviation, economic growth, and so much more.”

OSC is a youth employment program offered in partnership with local businesses, community organizations, and city agencies (departments, sister agencies and aldermanic offices) to provide young people ages 14-24 with paid work experiences for six weeks of the summer.  

In the first few months of Mayor Johnson’s term, the administration effectively increased youth employment opportunities by 20% over the previous year to hire an additional 4,000 young people. In total, 24,300 young Chicagoans were hired last summer, completing 2.43 million hours of work experience while earning $33.9M in wages. 

In 2024, the City aims to employ up to 28,000 young people across the city to work 15-20 hours per week for a total of six weeks. Mayor Johnson appropriated an additional $76M in his FY2024 budget to expand youth employment opportunities for this summer. Mayor Johnson’s goal is to double summer youth employment by the end of his term.  

OSC program consists of three interconnected programs: 

• Chicago Youth Service Corps (CYSC): Employs youth ages 16-24 year-round through programming focused on leadership development and local/civic engagement.  

• Chicagobility: Employs youth ages 14-15 through project-based learning and skill-building experiences.  

• Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP): Employs youth ages 16-24 through job placement or training programs to provide work experiences and develop skills for career pathways. 

The Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) manages the program, with direct support from the Education, Youth and Human Services (EDYHS) team in the Mayor’s Office. 

“Youth employment offers our youth not just jobs but transformative opportunities to expand their own skills and develop their capacity,” said DFSS Commissioner Brandie Knazze. “This year’s expansion is an important step forward for our young people and for our entire city.” 

"One Summer Chicago serves as a cornerstone of Mayor Johnson’s efforts to foster youth empowerment and community resilience. By offering diverse employment opportunities, we are not only shaping individual futures but also strengthening the fabric of Chicago's neighborhoods," added Deputy Mayor of EDYHS Jen Johnson.

More information on One Summer Chicago (Chicagobility and Summer Youth Employment Program) is available at OneSummerChicago.org .

Original source can be found here.