THREAD: @NYCMayor abruptly announced suspension of the Summer Youth Employment Program. This program has a decades-long history of uplifting impoverished youth who would otherwise struggle to access the labor market, while providing an economic lifeline to families ..
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This is unacceptable.

COVID-19 is exposing and magnifying generations of inequality in our city. Summer youth programs have been instrumental in closing that gap, educating, lifting up and providing opportunities to young people who would not otherwise have them. 2/

We all know we are entering a summer of uncertainty, but we also know that New Yorkers are adaptable and resilient, and many of our providers are already looking for creative ways to engage youth remotely, should the shutdown of businesses continue into the summer. 3/

We have been in conversation with these providers in recent weeks, and we know they stand ready to move forward, even in this uncertain climate. Many of them have spent weeks exploring options for engaging young people in remote learning, skills building, credentialing + more. 4/

We are asking that @NYCMayor + @NYCYouth join this conversation and work with providers to explore new and creative ways to engage youth — and provide SYEP participants with some form of a paycheck. ... 5/

During this crisis that is magnifying glaring disparities in our city, it is even more imperative that we provide a safety net for these young people before they fall even farther behind. 6/

Alternatively, providers must be given time to offramp from this program, so they are not forced to lay staff off with a day's notice. At minimum, the City should honor their contracts through the end of the year as the City assured providers ...7/

Thank you to the growing list of my colleagues (too many to tag!) who have signed this letter to @NYCMayor calling for a reinstatement of #SYEP. And thank you to the advocates, @ChildrenNYC , fighting for our youth. 8/8