CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) today announced the expansion of One Summer Chicago (OSC) to more than 27,000 jobs through partnerships with the business community, City departments, sister agencies, philanthropic partners, and labor unions.  

“Our commitment to youth jobs is not just about giving our young people a paycheck; it’s about giving them a purpose,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “We know that youth employment compliments our community safety strategy, and we are proud that we were able to successfully expand the program again this summer. We are committed to continuing to invest in our young people so that every teenager in Chicago has the opportunity to earn money, develop their skills, and build meaningful careers in our city.”  

Last year, Mayor Johnson successfully expanded the program by roughly 4,000 jobs, representing a 20% increase from the previous summer. Thanks to the allocation of an additional $11M in Mayor Johnson’s FY2024 budget, the administration has expanded the program by another 2,400+ jobs this summer. In total, 27,140 young people are employed through OSC this summer and the administration continues to seek partnerships to further increase the number of jobs available.  

“Summer jobs are critical to helping shape a young person’s trajectory and allows them to gain perspective of how they see themselves contributing to their communities,” said DFSS Commissioner Brandie Knazze. “The opportunity for young people to explore various careers while getting paid is putting more young people on a path of lifelong learning while building our future workforce.” 

Mayor Johnson announced the OSC numbers during a site visit to Dyett High School, a partner in the OSC program. CPS is one of the sister agencies that partners with the City to employ young people, along with the Chicago Housing Authority, Chicago Park District, After School Matters, Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago Transit Authority, City Colleges of Chicago, and Aldermanic Offices.  

An exciting piece of this year’s expansion is the “Peacekeepers” pilot program, a partnership with the community-based organization GoodKidsMadCity, along with the Alternative Schools Network, and Wards 3, 4, 5, and 20. The Peacekeepers program trains young people to de-escalate conflicts in their communities through communication skills, conflict resolution, event planning, deep canvassing, and relationship building. At the announcement event, Mayor Johnson participated in a peace circle with young people from the program and spoke with them about their experiences. 

“We want to heal our communities and provide other youth like us with the opportunities to push peace and make our communities safer,” said Reece Johnson, a youth leader with GoodKidsMadCity. “We look forward to working with Mayor Johnson and Alders to uplift youth-led violence prevention.”   

Youth employment is a proven method to reduce community violence and combat poverty. As part of Mayor Johnson’s People’s Plan for Community Safety, the administration is making significant investments in data-driven strategies to prevent violence. Earlier this week, Mayor Johnson launched the ARPA-funded ‘Cycle Breakers’ campaign to disrupt cycles of violence by providing young people with mentorship, mental health support, and resources through partnerships with over 50 community-based organizations. More information on the Cycle Breakers program can be found here.  

The One Summer Chicago program is made up of three components: Chicagobility, Chicago Youth Service Corps (CSYC), and the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). More than 50 percent of the participants identify with one or more of the programs’ target population groups. Chicagobility is the first step in career exploration and summer work opportunities for young people between 14 and 15 years old who receive a stipend of $450 for project-based activities and career exploration over six weeks.  CYSC is a year-long civic leadership program for 16- to 24-year-olds focusing on leadership development, life skills and a career in public service. Community development, mental health and food insecurity are some issue areas the 880 participants tackle while earning $15.80 per hour for up to 460 hours a year. SYEP is a six-week program for 16- to 24-year-olds that launched in 2011. The program provides job placement and specialized training at local businesses, government agencies and community organizations to provide valuable work experience and career pathways.  

More information on One Summer Chicago (Chicagobility and Summer Youth Employment Program) is available at OneSummerChicago.org.    

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