Since 2001, the city of Bosotn has cut its spending on youth jobs by more than half. Anyone who reads the Boston papers knows that youth violence, particularly among Blacks and Latinos in Roxbury and Dorchester, has been skyrocketing.
The graphic above is from the United Youth and Youth Workers of Boston website. Please sign their petition urging Boston city officials to allocate $5 Million from the FY07 City Operating Budget for summer and year-round youth jobs.
Youth jobs are crucial to stopping violence. In the short term, they provide a positive alternative to young people of all types -- helping those who have already made negative choices, turn their lives around; and helping other young people who are on the fence, stay positive.
In the long term, jobs build the skills and futures of young people, giving them the tools and relationships to stay positive long after a summer job has finished. Indeed, youth jobs do far more than prevent violence: they invest in young people, giving them the resources to thrive as they become adults and community leaders.
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