Youth

Universal NYC College Savings Program

The Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity (TRIE) has confronted the generational, racial wealth gap through the Juneteenth Economic Justice Plan, which expands the NYC Kids Rise (NYCKR) Save-for-College program. Initially launched in 2016 as a pilot program across Queens School District 30, this 529 college savings initiative endeavored to extend and cement equity. Through this public-private-community partnership, children in this district now have over $6 million to go toward their college and career training.

With this expansion, all NYC public school students starting Kindergarten, will have a NYC Scholarship Account beginning in 2022. Through TRIE, the City will invest $15M annually to support the program. Every public dollar is estimated to leverage additional funding in philanthropy, family savings, community scholarships, and investment returns by the time a child graduates from high school.

Paid Summer Youth Opportunities

The New York City Young Men's Initiative (YMI) in partnership with the New York City Department of Probation's (DOP) Neighborhood Opportunity Network (NeON) leveraged existing funding to offer a suite of paid summer opportunities designed to support youth and their families throughout the hardest-hit neighborhoods. The programs – Community Crisis Response Initiative, NeON Summer, and Each One Teach One – offered young people the opportunity to build skills, express themselves creatively, and support COVID-19 community relief efforts. Over 4,000 youth were engaged across all three programs this summer. To learn more about YMI, visit nyc.gov/YMI.

The "Made in NY" Production Assistant Training Program

Developed in partnership with the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME), the Made in NY program provides individuals from diverse communities with training and access for New York City's production industry across the five boroughs.

The program is designed to:

• Provide unemployed and low-income New York City residents with training and placement into entry-level positions in film and television production.
• Promote diversity within New York City's entertainment production workforce.
• Provide an additional resource as an incentive for attracting new production to New York.