NYC Summer Youth Employment Program: How teens, young adults can apply

New York’s Staten Island. Teenagers and young adults in New York City are now able to apply for a position in the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP).

Known as the biggest youth employment program in the country, the program connects individuals between the ages of 14 and 24 with paid work experience and career exploration opportunities every summer to help them improve their leadership, social, civic, and professional abilities. According to the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), which oversees the program, it provides young people with a special chance to pursue their interests and find new ones.

Online or through partnering community-based organizations, SYEP applications are available at nyc.gov/syep.

Applications are being accepted through Friday, February 28. They opened on Tuesday.

NYC adolescents who live in one of the five boroughs of NYC and are legally permitted to work in the US are eligible to apply for SYEP. Applying does not ensure that you will be awarded a summer experience; selection is done by lottery.

Employers who wanted to become a worksite and offer SYEP participants paid experiences could also apply.

SYEP takes place in July and August and lasts for six weeks.

While older youth, ages 16 to 24, are paid the current minimum wage, participants, ages 14 and 15, receive a summer stipend.

In industries like business/finance, fashion, philanthropy, technology, arts/culture, engineering/construction, healthcare, legal services, real estate, transportation, advertising/marketing, hospitality/tourism, media/entertainment, and retail, participants obtained a head start on their careers at thousands of workplaces throughout the city last summer, according to the DYCD.

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High-achieving young New Yorkers can obtain pre-employment training and competitive internships with top organizations through Ladders for Leaders, a professional internship component of SYEP.

Furthermore, SYEP provides customized experiences to thousands of youth who are:


  • At highest risk of gun violence

  • NYCHA residents

  • Living with disabilities

  • Justice-involved, experiencing homelessness, in foster care

  • Participants in CareerReady SYEP, aligned with high school academic learning

DYCD’s website and social media accounts will be updated with program updates. For assistance with the application process, contact DYCD Community Connect at 1-800-246-4646.

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