Every June, while we celebrate the end of the school year and start of summer, we face the grim reality of increased gun violence.

With the proposed elimination of the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) due to the city’s budget shortfall amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we are in uncharted territory. 

We need to invest not divest from communities hardest hit by the pandemic like District 45. Our youth and families are in need of greater access to resources that will help advance personal, community, and economic development. 

As our city has reopened, we must work to restore thousands of youth jobs while expanding the capacity of our Crisis Management System partners and community-based organizations that operate programming to keep our community safe.