Teen leaders from many community organizations across the state of Massachusetts are organizing a rally to restore cuts to youth jobs funding in the State budget. The march seeks to highlight the dire situation for teen employment partially caused by last year’s budget cuts and the importance of youth jobs to teens and their communities. The two state funded teen jobs programs called YouthWorks and School to Career Connecting Activities were cut 50% for this coming summer in the state budget unless the Legislature acts soon to restore the funding as we are asking them to do.
This rally is being organized by: Dorchester Bay Youth Force, Hyde Square Task Force, Spontaneous Celebrations’s Beantown Society, Sociedad Latina, Safe Teens/Safe Communities Coalition, DSNI, St. Stephens, The City School, Youthaim!, Project RIGHT, Dorchester Youth Collaborative, Oak Hill CDC, Pleasant St. Neighborhood Center in Worcester, St. Stephen’s Teen Oasis in Lynn, Health Equity Coalition, Teen Empowerment, Madison Park CDC, High Risk Youth Network, Project Hip-Hop, GOTCHA, Bowdoin Street Health Center and United Teen Equality Center are
It will begin at 1:30 at Park Street Station and then teens will march around the downtown crossing area to the front of the Massachusetts State House for a brief rally at 2:30 and then proceed into the State House for an indoor rally at 3:30 at Gardner Auditorium followed by descending on the offices of state legislators to make their case for funding teen jobs.
«When I was 15 I looked for a job but wasn’t able to find one and I know many of my friends face a similar predicament. I decided that I wasn’t just going to take this situation; I decided to fight back and help to organize a rally for youth jobs», Brittany Morgan, teen leader from Dorchester.
Approximately 400 teens and adults are expected at the march. The march will begin at Park Street Station go up to the State House steps and will be followed by a gathering in Gardner Auditorium and meetings with elected officials. The march will highlight the pending crisis in youth employment, a fifty plus percentage reduction in summer jobs for the summer of 2010, as well as the importance of youth jobs for teen safety, teen workforce development and economic development in communities across the State. The march is part of a larger, statewide campaign which will include in district meetings with State Representatives and Senators as well other large actions.
Themes for the action chosen by 40 teen leaders meeting yesterday are:
1. More youth jobs will decrease violence
2. It’s cheaper to raise a well nourished child then to fix broken men & women.
