>>> CHICAGO'S NEWLY MINTED MAYOR IS LOOKING FOR OPTIONS TO EXPAND YOUTH EMPLOYMENT.

ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY, THOSE JOBS ARE CRITICALLY NEEDED.

THE STUDIES SHOW THAT THE SPIKE IN UNEMPLOYMENT FOR YOUNG BLACK PEOPLE DURING THE PANDEMIC FOR AGES 20-24, THE JOBLESSNESS RATE ROSE TO 57% IN 2021.

THAT IS ON TOP OF THE 87% OF BLACK RESIDENTS 15 TO 19 YEARS OLD WHO WERE UNEMPLOYED IN 2021.

THAT IS 20% HIGHER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.

JOINING US NOW WITH MORE ARE MELISSA, CHIEF OF STRATEGY AND STAFF, JANINE FULLER, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF RECRUITING, AND ONE OF THE STUDY AUTHORS, MATT WILSON, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AT THE GREAT CITIES INSTITUTE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US!

MATT, SO I SAW YOU FOUND IN YOUR STUDY THAT A RISE IN CRIME HAPPENS WHEN EMPLOYMENT DROPS.

IS THERE A CORRELATION, OR WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT?

>> SO THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF EVALUATION INTO THESE EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS AND VERY ROBUST RESEARCH.

THEY FOUND THAT WHEN PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS ARE WORKING AND THEY ARE PROVIDING MENTORS AND COUNSELING, THAT CRIME ACTUALLY DROPS 50%.

THAT IS WHILE THEY ARE ENGAGED IN THAT.

THE YEAR AFTER, IF THEY ARE NOT ENGAGED IN THESE TYPES OF PROGRAMS, THE CRIME DOES NOT ACTUALLY DROP.

SO THERE IS A VERY STRONG CORRELATION, BUT I THINK THAT THERE IS A CAUSE LINK BETWEEN HAVING A JOB AND CRIME.

>> SO MELISSA, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND HOW YOU ARE REALLY GETTING TEENS READY FOR EMPLOYMENT.

>> WE PROVIDE JOBS AND INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEENS FROM EIGHTH GRADE ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE SUMMER AFTER THEY GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL.

THESE PROGRAMS ARE IN A VARIETY OF CONTENT AREAS AND THEY ARE REALLY DESIGNED TO HELP YOUNG PEOPLE BUILD SKILLS IN THESE CONTENT AREAS BUT ALSO BUILD THE MENTORING SKILLS THAT THEY WILL NEED FOR WHATEVER EMPLOYMENT THEY DECIDE TO GO AFTER, WHATEVER CAREER OPPORTUNITIES THEY ARE INTERESTED IN.

>> I UNDERSTAND THAT CO-OP FOCUSES ON GETTING BLACK COLLEGE GRADUATES EMPLOYED.

WHAT STRATEGIES DO YOU ALL USED TO HELP THEM FIND OPPORTUNITIES?

>> SO CO-OP CAREERS IS A NATIONAL NONPROFIT AREA WE SUPPORT GRADUATES CONTENDING WITH UNEMPLOYMENT.

WE ALL KNOW WHAT UNEMPLOYMENT IS, BUT UNDEREMPLOYMENT IS COLLEGE GRADUATES WHO ARE MAY BE EMPLOYED AT A JOB THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE A BACHELORS DEGREE OR THEY MAKE LESS THAN $50,000.

WHAT WE DO IT CO-OP CAREERS AS WE FOCUS ON THE SOCIO-P'S AS WELL AS DIGITAL SKILLS.

WE LOOK AT STUDENTS WHO ARE RECENT GRADUATES.

THEY ARE LEARNING OUR TWO CURRICULUMS PROGRAM, WHICH IS DATA ANALYTICS AS WELL AS DIGITAL MARKETING.

THEY ARE LEARNING ABOUT ALL THESE DIFFERENT DATA FOCUSES AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WAYS TO STIMULATE THE ECONOMY.

THE COUPLE THAT WITH SOCIAL CAPITAL.

ALL OF US ARE WORKING THROUGH THAT, BUT WE HAVE A COVERT MODEL WHERE STUDENTS ARE LEARNING ALL THESE DIFFERENT SKILLS AND FULFILLING THEIR SOCIAL CAPITAL.

THERE WILL BE SOMEONE IN THE PROGRAM THAT CAN SUPPORT THEM AS THEY GET BETTER AT THEIR JOBS.

>> NOW WOULD YOU SAY THAT LOOKING AT GETTING ON PEOPLE JOB OPPORTUNITIES IS A RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CITY OR MAYBE THE PRIVATE SECTOR?

>> SO I THINK BOTH.

I THINK ONE INTERESTING THING IS TO THINK OF WHAT THE PRIVATE SECTOR ROLE IS.

THE LABOR MARKET HAS LARGELY NOT EMPLOYED YOUNGER PEOPLE.

THEY ARE OFTEN COMPETING FOR JOBS AGAINST PEOPLE OLDER THAN THEM, SO I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO STEP IN AND TRAIN YOUNG PEOPLE.

IF YOU THINK OF A 16 TO 17-YEAR-OLD, THEY ARE PROBABLY NOT READY TO ENTER THE PRIVATE SECTOR WITHOUT KNOWING THINGS.

I THINK THE MONEY THAT THE STATE OF ILLINOIS IS TRYING TO PUT INTO YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT IS SUCH A GREAT STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION IN TERMS OF PROVIDING IN PEOPLE WITH SKILLS WHERE THEY CAN CONVERSE WITH AN EMPLOYER AND LEARN HOW TO SHOW UP ON TIME AND LEARN HOW TO RESPOND TO SUPERVISORS.

I THINK THE PUBLIC SECTOR NEEDS TO GIVE A PUSH.

>> SO WE THINK ABOUT PUBLIC FUNDING OR PUBLIC PUSHING.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE FROM THE JOHNSON ADMINISTRATION IN TERMS OF HOW THEY PUSH FOR AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS?

>> WE HAVE BEEN SO ENCOURAGED BY MAYOR JOHNSON'S COMMITMENT TO ENGAGEMENT.

ALIGNS WITH APPLICABLE MATTERS ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT EVERY YOUNG PERSON IN THE CITY HAS ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPLORE INTERESTS AND DECIDE WHAT IT IS WE WANT TO DO NOW AND IN THE FUTURE .

WE HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLY ENCOURAGED AND WE HOPE TO SEE ALL THESE GOALS COME TO FRUITION.

>> JUMPING OVER TO YOU, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, WHAT STRUCTURAL ISSUES DO YOU BELIEVE CONTRIBUTE TO UNEMPLOYMENT OR UNDEREMPLOYMENT FOR BLACK COLLEGE GRADUATES?

>> THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.

I THINK A LOT OF IT IS THAT SOCIAL COMPONENT, YOU KNOW, THAT SOCIAL CAPITAL.

LEARNING HOW TO AFFECT PEOPLE IN A POSITIVE WAY.

WHEN I TALK TO A LOT OF YOUNG ADULTS, PEOPLE ON OUR PROGRAM, THE THING THEY HAVE ABOUT NETWORKING IS THEY DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.

HERE IT CO-OP WE SHOW THEM THAT SOCIAL CAPITAL IS NOT JUST ABOUT ASKING FOR A JOB, IT IS BY GETTING SUPPORT FOR THE WORK THAT YOU ARE ALREADY DOING.

RIGHT NOW OUR PROGRAM STARTED IN 2014 AND WE ARE JUST TRYING TO GET THE WORD OUT .

WE ARE TRYING TO GET THE PEACE OUT SUPPORTING ALL THAT.

>> JUMPING BACK TO YOU, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE CITY COULD DO TO JUMPSTART OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE PRIVATE SECTOR?

>> SO I THINK THAT IT IS A GREAT STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, BUT IT IS ABOUT ACKNOWLEDGING THAT YOUNG PEOPLE DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE THE SKILLS THEY NEED TO THRIVE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR RIGHT NOW.

I THINK THAT IT IS THINKING ABOUT SUMMER JOB PROGRAMS.

I THINK THINKING OF THOSE AS AN EXTENSION OF EDUCATION.

WE ALWAYS THINK OF EDUCATION IS GOING IN A CLASSROOM, BUT ON-THE-JOB TRAINING, I THINK THE PUBLIC SECTOR CAN DO A GREAT SERVICE AND PUT A LOT OF MONEY INTO PREPARING THEM FOR THESE TYPES OF JOBS.

>> JUMPING BACK TO YOU, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE FOR PARTICIPATION IN AFTER SCHOOL MATTERS?

HAVE YOU SEEN AN INCREASE IN THE PANDEMIC OR A LULL?

>> SO THERE WERE ABOUT 10,000 YOUNG PEOPLE.

TO YOUR POINT AS TO WHETHER THIS CAN CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF INTERNSHIPS AND PROGRAMS.

WE TRANSITIONED TO REMOTE.

I THINK THIS SOME OF THE DEMAND WILL BE GREATER, SO IT IS