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
- Supplementary budget for youth jobs and spacesResident asks for additional youth job funding, noting youth need income and third spaces, particularly in Black and Brown neighborhoods, and that it would keep them out of trouble.2026–27City-wide
- Supplementary budget for youth jobsResident asks for additional budget for youth jobs to advance social and racial equity by providing economic opportunity for kids of color.2026–27City-wide
- Youth jobs for everyone, including immigrantsResident wants youth jobs available to all young people, including immigrants, to provide work in lower-income areas of the city.2026–27City-wide
- School-year youth jobsResident asks for school-year youth jobs as an investment in Black and Brown youth, providing opportunity and helping keep communities safer.2026–27City-wide
- Remove limits on youth job applicationsThe resident objects to the Mayor limiting the number of jobs youth can apply to and wants this issue addressed.2026–27City-wide
- Sign language workshops and winter youth jobsThe resident asks for sign language workshops and winter jobs for youth, to help deaf and mute people integrate and keep young people occupied.2026–27City-wide
- Winter jobs for youth to reduce povertyThe resident asks for winter jobs for young people to help reduce poverty and make society more economically stable.2026–27City-wide
- More youth job programsThe resident asks for more job programs for young people, open to people of all backgrounds.2026–27City-wide
- More jobs for teenagersThe resident asks for more job opportunities for adolescents.2026–27City-wide
- More jobs for teenagersResident asks for more job opportunities for teenagers.2026–27City-wide
- Funding for youth jobsResident asks for funding to be directed toward youth jobs.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Spanish
- Increase city funding for youth jobsResident asks for a larger share of city funding for youth jobs to give young people work experience and positive community activity, possibly reducing gang violence.2026–27City-wide
- Fund nonprofits that employ youth, including immigrantsThe resident asks for funding for nonprofits and community groups that employ young people, including fellowships for immigrant youth.2026–27City-wide
- Restore $500,000 for youth jobs and fellowshipsThe resident asks to use $500,000 to restore funding for community organizations to offer school-year youth jobs and fellowships, supporting youth leadership and safe spaces.2026–27City-wide
- $500,000 for summer and year-round youth jobsThe resident asks for $500,000 to fund community groups, nonprofits and small businesses to hire and train youth, so low-income young people can earn income while staying in school.2026–27City-wide
- Fund youth jobsThe resident asks for more funding for youth jobs, saying it helps minority families, prepares youth for adulthood and keeps kids off the streets.2026–27City-wide
- Increase funding for youth jobsThe resident asks to put money into the youth jobs budget, saying it makes the city safer and gives lower-income communities needed income.2026–27City-wide
- Restore $500,000 for youth jobs and fellowshipsThe resident asks to use $500,000 to restore funding for community organizations to offer school-year youth jobs and fellowships for youth generally and immigrant youth.2026–27City-wide
- Put $500K back into paid youth opportunitiesThe resident asks to return $500,000 to youth organizations offering paid jobs and stipended work, including for immigrant youth, so low-income young people can earn money and build skills.2026–27City-wide
- Restore $500,000 for youth jobs and fellowshipsThe resident asks to use $500,000 to restore funding for community organizations to offer school-year youth jobs and fellowships for youth generally and immigrant youth.2026–27City-wide