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
- Clean energy career awareness for high schoolersResident wants clean energy and related career opportunities promoted to opportunity youth in high schools, so state resources reach people burdened by climate change.2024–25City-wide
- Year-round youth jobs with mental health supportsResident wants youth jobs that last year-round, with added mental health supports in jobs and youth programs, and urges spending the full $5 million on participatory budgeting.2024–25City-wide
- Pilot year-round youth jobs paying $18-24/hourResident proposes a pilot year-round jobs program for youth 14-24 paying $18-24 an hour, noting the City has $5 million but only $2 million is being used.2024–25City-wide
- Year-round youth jobs with continued adult hiringResident asks that youth jobs last a full year, use the full $5 million rather than $2 million, and let community organizations keep youth on as adults at reasonable pay.2024–25City-wide
- Flexible youth jobs that fit school schedulesResident asks for flexible yet active youth jobs or opportunities so young people can work and contribute while managing school and other responsibilities.2024–25City-wide
- Year-round work opportunities for every Boston teenResident wants every Boston teen to have year-round work to learn job skills and help household finances.2024–25City-wide
- Pilot year-round youth jobs paying $20-25/hourResident asks for grants to pilot a year-round youth jobs program paying at least $20-25 an hour, since current city jobs last eight months and pay too little.2024–25City-wide
- Pilot year-round youth employment at $18-24/hourResident proposes a pilot program offering young people year-round jobs paying $18-24 an hour, marketed to Black and brown youth and centered on racial equity.2024–25City-wide
- Year-round youth jobs with higher payResident asks that youth jobs run year-round and pay $18-24 an hour.2024–25City-wide
- Year-round youth jobs paying $18-24 per hourResident asks for 12-month, well-paid youth jobs for ages 14-24 at $18-24 an hour to help close financial gaps facing families.2024–25City-wide
- Year-round well-paid youth jobs up to age 24Resident asks for good-paying youth jobs lasting the full year rather than eight months, run with community organizations and open to people up to 24, for equity in wages and experience.2024–25City-wide
- Jobs and programs for young adults after aging outResident asks for assistance, jobs and programs for young adults to continue supporting them after they age out of youth programs.2024–25City-wide