Can Mayor Brandon Johnson increase youth employment in Chicago?

Good afternoon, Chicago.

Mayor Brandon Johnson kicked off Chicago’s annual summer jobs program today, highlighting the city’s ongoing efforts to employ youth and keep teens engaged while they’re out of school.

On the campaign trail, Johnson pledged to expand the program and double the city’s number of youth employed within his first 100 days in office. Politicians have talked about providing jobs to enrich teens and serve as a salve for the city’s summer violence for decades. Johnson’s predecessor, Lori Lightfoot, frequently spoke of an “all hands on deck” approach to violence, which Johnson echoed today.

The program, called One Summer Chicago, is a longtime staple of City Hall’s approach to summer violence and youth enrichment that serves youth ages 14 to 24. It has shrunk from employing 31,552 young people in 2019 to 20,544 kids last year, according to city figures.

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