Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Department of Youth & Community Development

Department of Youth & Community Development

  • Council Passes Bill Pushing Summer Youth Employment Program Across City Agencies

    Summer Youth Employment Program celebration (photo: John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit)


    New York City’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) could be seeing a boost despite proposed budget cuts, thanks to legislation in the City Council that could lead to greater participation from city agencies.

    The Council is expected to pass a bill Thursday that would set a goal for each city agency to offer youth job slots as part of the landmark program, which connects tens of thousands of students with paid job opportunities in and out of city government during the summer months when school is

    ...
  • Despite Growing Need, City Struggles to Fill and Expand Programs Dedicated to Combating Youth Unemployment

    Mayor Adams at a youth employment event (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)


    The New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) is struggling to fill and expand career programs dedicated to unemployed, out-of-school youth, despite a dramatic increase in their numbers during the pandemic.

    According to a recent report from State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, unemployment among city residents aged 16 to 24 hit 17.9% in October 2022, a nearly 8 point

    ...
  • 25 Years of Growth and Impact at the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development

    youth bb margc

    DYCD (photo: @NYCYouth)


    As New York City recovers from a historic year fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Youth and Community Development is marking a very special anniversary: 25 years as a City agency.

    Our agency, DYCD, has seen its fair share of challenges over the last quarter-century but has always risen to the occasion. As the largest municipal funder of capacity-building geared toward a healthy network of nonprofits, our funded providers were critical in the city’s ability to weather and rebound from 9/11, Superstorm Sandy, and

    ...
  • Celebrating the Growth and Impact of New York City’s Summer Youth Employment Program

    Gotham Gazette: Celebrating New York City's Summer Youth Employment Program

    Mayor de Blasio makes an SYEP announcement (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    On August 21, the New York City Summer Youth Employment Program concluded its 59th year of operation after placing 74,884 New Yorkers into paid opportunities for six weeks. This was a record number of participants served (at a record 14,465 worksites), receiving life-changing paid career exploration and work experiences, with benefits extending well beyond the youth themselves. 

    As part of New York City’s

    ...
  • Homeless Young Adults Must Have Equal Access to Housing in New York City

    1 young adults utility

    A discussion with young adults (photo: Edwin J. Torres/Mayoral Photograph)


    New York City Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD) shelters and drop-in centers are specifically designated for youth and young adults ages 16-24. Yet, those same youth, when between the ages of 18-24, are not eligible to receive housing vouchers unless they move into a Department of Homeless Services (DHS) adult shelter. For its entirety, the de Blasio administration has withheld critical housing vouchers for young people in DYCD programs rather than

    ...
  • 'Shameful': No Sign of City's Long Overdue Plan for 250,000-Plus Disconnected Youth

    2 still no sign

    Organizers and activists (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    While unemployment booms and New York City faces its worst economy in decades, the fate of the city's disconnected youth -- people aged 16 to 24 who are both out of work and out of school -- is getting a shrug from city government.

    The city's Disconnected Youth Task Force, created by the City Council and Mayor Bill de Blasio to examine the factors that inhibit employment and school enrollment among this group numbering in the hundreds of thousands, is more than two years late to submit its

    ...
  • More Youth-Police Partnership is Not NYPD Reform, It’s Dangerous

    announces crime st

    The mayor and top NYPD officials at a community center (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)


    Over the last several weeks, the New York City Police Department convened and broadcasted eight “police reform and reinvention listening sessions” in response to Governor Cuomo’s June Executive Order 203 requiring local police agencies to develop a plan that “reinvents and modernizes police strategies.” These sessions were a sham.

    Arriving on the heels of the Defund NYPD movement, the City is choosing what, when, and how to listen. The call to “Defund the NYPD,” for example,

    ...