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
- Project Bet on YouthInvest in young people and young adults with work, education and ways to use their skills, and give them a voice to define themselves.2024–25City-wide
- Pay teens to work on road repair worksitesHire teens to work on worksites that help fix damaged roads, which are hurt by cars and scooters.2024–25City-wide
- More jobs and programs for minorsProvide more jobs and programs for minors, since many minority youth lack the same resources as others.2024–25City-wide
- Free trade training for young peopleOffer free trade learning for young people so they gain skills to be employed and financially secure.2024–25City-wide
- Higher-wage, year-round youth jobs pilotPilot higher-paying, year-long youth jobs using the full $5 million set aside, since young people of color often help support their households.2024–25Dorchester
- Year-round higher-paid jobs for teens and young adultsResident asks for year-round youth jobs for ages teen to 24 paying $18-24 per hour, to address higher unemployment among BIPOC youth and housing affordability.2024–25City-wide
- More funding for youth jobsResident asks for more money for youth jobs so young people can stay in programs that provide financial independence and keep them off the streets.2024–25City-wide
- Year-round well-paying youth jobsResident asks for participatory budget money to fund year-round, well-paid youth jobs, since current programs last only eight months and limit access to work for marginalized young people.2024–25City-wide
- Year-round youth jobs and higher minimum wageResident asks for youth jobs that run all year without stopping and a higher minimum wage.2024–25City-wide
- Access to year-round youth jobsResident asks that youth have access to year-round youth jobs.2024–25City-wide
- Year-round youth jobs with fair payResident asks for year-round youth jobs with higher wages to help youth and their families.2024–25City-wide
- Year-round youth jobs with higher wagesA youth worker asks for year-round youth jobs with higher pay, since low wages and months without work leave income gaps for their family.2024–25City-wide
- More year-round youth jobsResident asks for more youth jobs, including year-round positions.2024–25City-wide
- Expand SuccessLink for year-round, better-paid youth jobsExpand SuccessLink with year-round jobs, more hours and higher wages, piloting changes to attract young people from vulnerable backgrounds who need income.2024–25City-wide
- Year-round paid youth jobs and internships with equity criteriaExpand year-round good-wage jobs, paid internships and mentorship for youth, pay youth outreach workers to recruit, and use equity criteria so impacted youth can meet Boston's living costs.2024–25City-wide
- Youth jobs, housing resources and mental health supportResident asks for year-round, well-paid youth jobs, resources and housing for unhoused youth, and mental health support in youth programs, to address economic and social injustice.2024–25City-wide
- Pilot consistent, higher-paying jobs for ages 14-24Resident proposes a pilot for jobs for 14-24 year olds that run steadily through the year and pay more than minimum wage, giving Black and brown youth consistent income.2024–25Hyde Park
- Pay youth jobs $18-$24 per hourResident asks that youth jobs pay $18 to $24 per hour so young people can contribute more to their families, advancing equity.2024–25City-wide
- Year-round youth jobs paying above minimum wageResident asks for year-round youth jobs that pay better than minimum wage.2024–25City-wide
- Year-long youth jobs paying $18-24 per hourResident asks for year-long youth jobs paying $18-24 per hour so young people avoid pay gaps and second jobs and can build leadership and support themselves.2024–25City-wide