Original article written by Annalise Knudson for State Island Advance.
Earlier this month, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that New York City will work to support youth and young adults — including both current students and those who are out of school and unemployed — as they overcome the challenges of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Those measures include a campaign with the City University of New York (CUNY) to engage 5,000 young adults to enroll in college this spring, as well as an initiative to connect more than 2,000 high school students with paid internships and opportunities to earn college credit. “The measures we’re announcing today represent just a first set of actions demonstrating our commitment to center their well-being as we begin the long road to recovery from the pandemic,” said de Blasio in a press release. “We look forward to working with the new Biden-Harris administration and congressional leadership to build back NYC better than ever.” Additionally, the city shared a new report by the citywide Disconnected Youth Task Force, “Connecting Our Future,” that focuses attention on New York City’s population of out-of-school/out-of-work 16- to 24-year-olds. The task force, originally convened in 2019, updated its original analysis to account for the unexpected spike of these young adults as a result of job losses and educational disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. This report will serve as the city’s strategic plan to serve this population.
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