2024 has only just begun, but for young people already planning their summer job prospects, applications for Baltimore’s YouthWorks program opened Tuesday.
The summer program is spearheaded by the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, Youth Services Division, providing a five-week job opportunity to the city’s youth aged 14 to 21 years of age (by July 5, 2024).
Youthworks celebrated its 50th year last summer, and the initiative’s success addressing violence and poverty among city youth is now a template for cities around the nation.
During its summer 2023 session, the program offered jobs to 7,890 youth for $13.25 per hour, and in 2022, employed 5,819 young people in its program. More than 80% of last year’s participants were Black, and over half were female. Over the last decade, Youthworks has provided summer jobs to more than 80,000 Baltimore youth.
During the summer 2024 session, participants will earn $15 per hour, and will be able to work up to 25 hours per week for five weeks.
There are two different kinds of businesses that provide placement for Baltimore youth through the program: “host” and “hiring.” Host businesses are small businesses with five or fewer employees, for whom Youthworks pays the young person’s salary. Host businesses also include nonprofits and government agencies. Hiring businesses are employers with more than five employees, and they cover the cost of the young person’s salary themselves.
Brookings Institute cited operating a Youthworks site as a “win” for Greenmount Life, Opportunity, and Wellness (GLOW) Initiative, which is an effort to “concentrate financial and social investment in select neighborhoods that have long experienced underinvestment.” GLOW partnered with Banner Neighborhoods to operate the site.
Young people interested in the program can fill out an application online between now and March 22, 2024, when the application process closes. There are virtual Q&A sessions on Fridays throughout the month of February to answer questions for youth and their parents and/or guardians about the program and application process. There will also be in-person school visits in February.
Businesses interested in participating as a Hire or Host employer can find more information by clicking this link. This application process is also open as of Jan. 2, 2024.
Placement letters are sent out in June 2024, and the first day of work for Youthworks is on Monday, July 8, 2024.
If you’d like more information about Youthworks, or need help with your application, you can contact the Helpdesk at ywhelpdesk@baltimorecity.gov or call 410-545-1820.
