Committee on Workforce Development: Subcommittee on Youth Employment meeting, May 6, 2024
- When: Mon, May 6, 2024, 2:00 PM (Chicago time)
- Where: City Council Chamber, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 121 North LaSalle Street - Chicago, IL 60602
- Status: Scheduled & Published
- Committee: Committee on Workforce Development: Subcommittee on Youth Employment
- Video: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8928568/video/942055725
- Transcript: full text (22,920 words, official captions)
Meeting notes
AI-written from the transcript. Speakers are inferred from cues in the recording, so treat names as estimates and check the video at the linked time.
The Subcommittee on Youth Employment of the Committee on Workforce Development held its first meeting on May 6, 2024, a subject matter hearing on the citywide strategy for youth employment, after allowing Alderpersons Robinson, Yancy, Rodríguez Sánchez and Mitts to attend remotely. Eighteen public commenters spoke, many of them young people and youth program staff describing the impact of summer jobs, peacekeeper programs and alternative schools. The Deputy Mayor for Education, Youth and Human Services and staff from DFSS, After School Matters, CPS, the Park District, the Mayor's Office of Community Safety and the CHA presented plans to double youth employment, expand One Summer Chicago by 20% to about 28,000 opportunities, and pilot 100 paid peacekeeper positions. Members asked about reaching youth facing the most barriers, safety reporting, year-round jobs, mental health support, paperwork barriers for micro-grants, tracking outcomes, and following up with the thousands of applicants who will not be placed; the chair requested cost estimates for therapy sessions for employed youth and for expanding the peacekeeper pilot to 250 positions. No vote was taken.
Topics: Youth employment, One Summer Chicago, Peacekeepers, After School Matters, CPS career programs, Park District jobs, Micro-grants, Youth mental health, Public comment
Agenda items discussed
- 27:10 Motion to allow Alderpersons Robinson, Yancy and Rodríguez Sánchez to attend remotely under Rule 59: passed
- 27:38 Public comment: discussed
- 55:55 Motion to allow Alderperson Emma Mitts to attend remotely under Rule 59: passed
- 56:35 Subject matter hearing on the citywide strategy for youth employment: discussed
Alderpersons who spoke
- Jessica L. Fuentes (chair): Said the public comment from young people had been her favorite public comment period. (55:45); Asked who will be responsible for following up with the roughly 5,000 young people who may not be placed this summer. (2:40:41); Asked the Chicago Housing Authority how it is engaging young people in public housing about the employment opportunities. (2:41:56)
- Jeanette B. Taylor (alderperson): Requested data by ward on participating organizations and on new versus returning youth, saying programs often rehire the same students rather than those who struggle. (1:48:32); Asked what the city has put in place so young workers have someone other than their supervisor to report safety concerns to. (1:50:00); Asked how many year-round jobs exist and whether more funding will be sought in the next budget. (1:51:29)
- Rossana Rodríguez Sánchez (alderperson): Expressed support for the administration's work and for paid peacekeeper positions, and described high school interns working in her office. (2:00:04); Asked how each agency will track the success of youth employment programs, including qualitative data, to make the case during budget season. (2:02:10)
- Byron Sigcho-López (alderperson): Said systemic barriers continue to keep the most at-risk youth from accessing opportunities and asked how CPS, DFSS and aldermanic offices coordinate outreach. (2:07:10); Cited written testimony that documentation requirements are a barrier for youth and said paperwork should not prevent placement of the most vulnerable young people. (2:10:39); Asked about expanding trade opportunities and partnerships with state and county agencies for youth. (2:14:00)
- Julia M. Ramirez (alderperson): Described her own experience in youth programs and thanked colleagues and the deputy mayor for their work. (2:16:23); Asked how the city can invest in youth-led ideas and vacant spaces, and raised that micro-grant recipients were expected to front money they did not have. (2:18:04); Asked how youth are connected to counselors and careers after summer, and how sister agency applications work. (2:24:10)
- Stephanie D. Coleman (alderperson): Recognized students from Progressive Leadership Academy and asked how many applied to One Summer Chicago by the deadline. (2:32:22); Asked how the 28,000 positions will be allocated when applications far exceed slots, and urged finding work for youth who miss out or missed the deadline. (2:34:39); Asked about adding financial literacy with the City Treasurer and suggested a youth sample budget exercise with students from every ward. (2:37:39)
Exchanges between members
- 2:02:02 Alderperson Rossana Rodríguez Sánchez said she appreciated Alderperson Jeanette B. Taylor questions and added to them.
- 2:16:33 Alderperson Julia M. Ramirez described working in Alderperson Jeanette B. Taylor ward and how Taylor's trust in young staff encouraged her.
- 2:17:17 Alderperson Julia M. Ramirez praised the chair for energizing colleagues on youth issues.
- 2:24:01 Alderperson Jeanette B. Taylor supported Alderperson Julia M. Ramirez point about micro-grant paperwork burdens.