Henry Street Hosts Mayor de Blasio, SYEP Press Conference
By Chelsea Jupin
Photo by Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office.
Henry Street Settlement – one of the city’s oldest and largest partners of the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) — was the site of a press conference called by Mayor Bill de Blasio to celebrate the record-breaking SYEP summer. He was joined by members of his administration as well as City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Department of Youth and Community Development Commissioner Bill Chong, U.S. Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, as well as Councilmembers Margaret Chin, Julissa Ferreras-Copeland (both SYEP alumni themselves!) and Councilmember Mathieu Eugene.
The press conference was held on July 15th, at Henry Street’s youth center at 301 Henry Street. In addition to elected officials and press, many SYEP participants attended.
Mayor de Blasio thanked the New York City Council, which established $39 million in baseline funding for summer jobs, letting the New York City SYEP remain the largest summer youth employment initiative in the country. Some 60,000 youth are employed through the program this summer.
“Henry Street Settlement has been a proud partner of SYEP since the program’s inception,” said David Garza, Executive Director of Henry Street Settlement. “The Settlement is grateful to New York City for the decades of support for this essential program. Our mission is to open doors of opportunity for New Yorkers and opening the door to a first job for a young person can be life-changing. We’ve helped tens of thousands of young people over the years take that important first step to gain the skills they need as they move forward with their education, their careers, and their lives.”
The press conference kicked off with words of thanks from an SYEP participant at Henry Street Settlement’s Camp Henry, Kenneth Rivera. Kenneth told the crowd, “being part of SYEP has changed me for the better,” giving him the skills and work experience he needs for his future. Fellow participant Frankie Mayoral said, “knowing that I don’t have to become another statistic takes a lot of weight off my shoulders.”
“When more young people work, we ensure the success of the next generation, improve the long-term strength of our workforce and our economy, and take another step towards becoming a city with opportunity for all,” said Mayor deBlasio, and encouraged local employers to “hire one or two of these young people for the summer. Or 10. Or 20!”
SYEP partners like Henry Street place youth between the ages of 14 and 24 in six weeks of summer employment and provide workshops on finances, health, college and careers, and work readiness skills. Henry Street Settlement has been involved since the programs inception in the 1960s.
Click here for the city’s official press release »
