America On Tech Stands with #SaveSYEP

On Tuesday, April 7, 2020 we learned about the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development’s (DYCD) decision around canceling its 2020 Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), as well as its Ladders for Leaders program. The news devastated our organization and its supporters, as we could not fathom the effect this would have on the young people of New York City who gain access to critical employment opportunities through this resource.

​Since 2016, our organization has worked with SYEP and Ladders for Leaders providers to ensure the young people in our programs gain equitable access to paid employment over the summer. This has resulted in many of our students gaining internships at places like BlackRock, Bank of America, Ernst and Young and other leading companies that provide robust employment and career experiences. 
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To share that the cancellation of SYEP is damaging to New York City youth is an understatement. SYEP traditionally serves around 75,000 young people across the five boroughs, 69% of participants are Black / Latinx, 57% self-identify as female, 3,000+ are youth with disabilities and the majority are from low to moderate income families. 

At a time when marginalized communities are disproportionately feeling the effects of COVID-19, we do not stand by the city’s decision to cancel the SYEP program. We stand with a number of organizations who are advocating for the turnaround of this decision. 

You can join us in a number of ways:

• Read the full statement and see all signatures here: bit.ly/2020syep
• We are still accepting signatures. Sign here
• To join the effort and receive updates on the campaign, fill out this short form
• Sign and share the petition: https://bit.ly/saveSYEP
• Invite others to view and comment on this document: http://bit.ly/SYEPtoolkit
• Share what SYEP means to you here!

Thank you for your support.