A youth jobs program at East Boston Social Centers is facing an uncertain future after losing City of Boston funding that helped support teen employment during the school year. The city’s SuccessLink program funded approximately nine jobs there last school year, but that funding ended following a change in the city’s youth employment strategy.
Rick, thank you. New tonight, federal funding cuts
are impacting a Boston program that helps teens find work.
Boston 25's Lisa Pappas is asking what's next
for East Boston Social Centers.
I come here and I'm not afraid.
I'm like more, I find comfort in talking to adults
and getting to know their experience so that I can,
you know, learn what I want to do in the future.
Marwa is a high school student
who works for East Boston Social Centers.
Her job is working with toddlers at one of their daycares.
daycares. Elio works here too
and says he loves working with children in his own neighborhood
of East Boston.
I could teach them a few words in English
as well if they're having trouble or I could
help them with a problem they're having
and that would like to bring a smile to my face.
Stacy Pierda is the director of the Thriving Teens program
at East Boston Social Centers.
We're trying to work every avenue
that we have access to but we're facing some hard
times.
She says they're scrambling to figure out how
they're going to pay their teens for these
jobs after losing their funding from the city
this school year funding programs
like ours it's more than a paycheck they
also get time in the classroom where
they're working on you know personal
professional development and they're
doing workshops on financial literacy
and there's they they learn more than
just the hands-on experience that they're
at their placement a Boston City
spokesperson tells us
the Success Links program funded about nine youth jobs at
this center last school year
but this year that program ended after a change
in the city's funding strategy
the city launched a new public-private model in
July to fund these school year jobs for teens
so now this center will need to
get private funding to keep
the program going I believe it's like a fantastic
experience and it would be such like
a missed opportunity for other kids
especially kids in East Boston I think we'd
be losing a gem a Boston City
spokesperson tells me the Boston private
industry council will be announcing
hundreds of new job opportunities for teens soon.
It's still unclear whether any of those jobs will
be here at the East Boston Social Centers.
On scene in East Boston, I'm Lisa Pappas
for your local station, Boston 25 News.
