Youth jobs & fellowships
Paid, year-round and school-year work, internships and fellowships that give Boston teens and young adults income and work experience.
Residents consistently ask for paid, year-round youth jobs with fair pay, especially for youth of color, low-income and immigrant teens, plus trade and career pathways.
Theme grouped and summary written with AI from this theme's resident ideas.
192 ideas across three cycles
| Cycle | Ideas | Share of all ideas | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | 77 | 6.3% | 4 of 20 |
| 2025–26 | 23 | 1.9% | 19 of 20 |
| 2026–27 | 92 | 6.9% | 5 of 20 |
Needs that keep coming back
Year-round paid youth jobs
Residents want youth work that lasts the full year rather than a short summer or eight-month season, with 2024-25 ideas often asking for $18-24 an hour.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Income and equity for families of color and low-income families
Many ideas say youth jobs help Black, brown and low-income young people support their households and gain fair access to work experience.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Trade, career exploration and skills training
Residents ask for free trade classes, career exposure and vocational pathways so young people can reach skilled work.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Longer fellowships and jobs for immigrant youth
Residents want immigrant youth to have longer, paid, school-year programs with stipends, mentorship and work experience.
Raised in 2025–26, 2026–27
2024–25
Nearly all of the 77 ideas called for year-round youth jobs paying $18-24 an hour, often as a pilot, and asked the City to use the full $5 million set aside for participatory budgeting.
2025–26
Only 23 ideas came in, scattered across topics, with a clear cluster asking to extend the 10-week Immigrant Youth Advancement fellowship to 10 months.
2026–27
Most of the 92 ideas asked to restore a $500,000 budget cut for school-year youth jobs and fellowships at community organizations, including for immigrant youth.
New in 2026–27
New in 2026-27 are asks to restore a specific $500,000 cut to school-year jobs, put youth jobs in the city budget instead of philanthropy, offer winter jobs, and expand PowerCorps-style programs, plus one objection to limits on youth job applications.
Funding so far
The one winning project, Youth Financial Literacy and Empowerment Workshops ($250,000), serves youth at job sites but does not fund jobs, so year-round paid jobs, school-year jobs and immigrant youth fellowships, and free trade training are not yet addressed by a winning project.
Projects are linked to themes by matching each project's description to the themes; this is not an official City classification.
Youth Financial Literacy and Empowerment Workshops
2025–26 · $250,000 · related theme
This proposal provides financial literacy workshops at youth job sites, local events, and colleges for young people ages 14-24.
Departments that often lead this work
- Office of Workforce Development
- BCYF
- Boston Public Schools
Suggested with AI; not an official assignment of responsibility.
Ideas in Youth jobs & fellowships
192 ideas
2024–25: 77 · 2025–26: 23 · 2026–27: 92
- Expand job opportunities for youthExpand job opportunities available to Boston youth.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Korean
- Expand job opportunities for youthExpand job opportunities available to Boston youth.2026–27RoxburySubmitted in Korean
- Fund year-round youth jobsFund year-round youth jobs with placements at nonprofits, community groups and businesses so teens without employer connections can work, learn and earn.2026–27City-wide
- School-year youth jobs for ages 14-18Resident asks for a school-year youth jobs program through community organizations for ages 14-18, replacing cut funding, so working-class youth of color can earn income.2026–27City-wide
- More youth summer jobs and paid internshipsResident asks to increase youth summer jobs and paid internships, such as at City Hall, so students can support themselves and families and gain experience.2026–27City-wide
- Summer and year-round youth jobsResident asks for public summer and year-round youth jobs to build career skills, add family income, reduce youth violence and give all teens a fair chance.2026–27City-wide
- Paid youth audio and lighting technician trainingThe resident asks for a program that hires and trains local youth as paid audio and lighting technicians for city outdoor concerts, building creative career opportunities.2026–27City-wide
- Better summer jobs for young adultsAsks for better summer job opportunities for young adults.2026–27City-wide
- Year-round jobs for young adultsAsks for more jobs for young adults that run all year, not just during the school year.2026–27City-wide
- Career exploration for youth in skilled tradesResident asks for practical career exploration helping Boston youth learn about skilled careers, apprenticeships and training pathways, closing an information gap for immigrant and low-income students.2026–27City-wide
- Lifeguard training program for Boston teensResident asks for a program training Boston high schoolers as lifeguards so pools stay open on hot days, giving teens jobs and improving pool access.2026–27City-wide
- School-year and summer youth jobsResident asks for youth jobs during the school year and summer to help young people grow and invest in themselves.2026–27City-wide
- Vocational education for young peopleResident asks for vocational and professional training for all young people.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Portuguese
- Vocational education for young peopleResident asks for vocational and professional training for all young people.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Portuguese
- Job skills training project for ages 14-21Resident asks for a project to build professional and job skills for any young person aged 14 to 21.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Portuguese
- Career and job kiosks in community centersResident asks for self-service digital kiosks in community centers showcasing local trade apprenticeships, vocational programs, and city summer job openings.2026–27City-wide
- More jobs for young peopleThe resident asks for more jobs for youth, noting their children want to move out but there aren't enough jobs to pay rent.2026–27City-wide
- Teens leading games at neighborhood playgrounds year-roundResident asks to hire teenagers to run group games like kickball and tag at neighborhood playgrounds year-round, getting kids of all ages off screens.2026–27City-wide
- Restore youth jobs program at local organizationsResident asks to restore the youth jobs program employing young students and immigrants at local organizations.2026–27City-wide
- Winter job opportunities for young kidsResident asks for more winter job opportunities for young people to help the community.2026–27Downtown