Summer Youth Employment Program
Each summer, in partnership with the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) PAL, provides youth, ages 14-24 with employment opportunities throughout New York City. The Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) provides six weeks of paid employment during July and August. Entry level jobs give youth work experience in either public or private sector worksites. In addition to the six weeks of paid employment, participants attend workshops on job readiness, career exploration, and financial literacy. For many youths, these summer jobs are their first experience in the workforce. PAL serves more than 1,500 youth in the Queens, Manhattan, and Brooklyn through its full-service youth centers in these boroughs,
SYEP applications are released online in each Spring. Applicants MUST be entered into the online lottery before the designated DYCD deadline to be eligible for selection. For households without computer access, paper applications may be submitted in person at select PAL sites.
The staff in PAL’s Youth Employment Department have been working on the SYEP program for over a decade and have extensive experience in placing youth in appropriate job sites. They achieve this through individual sessions where staff carefully consider youth’s experiences, goals, expectations, and skill set to appropriately place them in a job site that will be suitable for them.
Many of the young people employed in summer jobs also participate in PAL’s CAP and Teen Centers. This results in year-round involvement for many young people in healthy and productive activities that strengthen their job readiness skills and opens doors to meaningful internships.
Myshanda Parks
SYEP Program Coordinator
mparks@palnyc.org
(718) 947-7641