Elizabeth Jones, a senior at Frederick Douglas Academy High School on
Chicago’s West Side, testified at a Chicago Urban League event today
that teens “actually like jobs” and crave the self-esteem and
independence that comes with employment.
Thanks to federal funding and a visit by the non-profit West Side Health Authority to her high school, Jones briefly landed a job. But now federal funds for youth jobs – applied in local initiatives like Chicago summer youth jobs and Put Illinois to Work – have mostly run dry, a problem for the many Chicago youth who have few available support systems. Read more »
Activists from the Stand Up! Chicago coalition, Occupy Chicago,
and other supporters participated in the International Day of Action by
taking over the LaSalle Street bridge on Thursday afternoon. According
to organizers, more than 2,000 people rallied at the Thompson Center and
marched to the bridge, shutting it down for over an hour to protest
budget cuts and demand jobs. The bridge is just one example of
infrastructure around the city in need of repairs and symbolized an
“Economic Emergency for the 99%,” according to the groups.
Here’s the sad outcome of the two month fight over the federal debt
ceiling: Our elected leaders are only just now turning to job creation
at a time when unemployment is soaring out of control in Illinois and
around the nation, prompting continued economic uncertainty and a great
deal of talk about a double dip recession.
As schools let out for the summer, Illinois teens face an uphill battle if they are looking for a summer gig, according to new numbers from the Census Bureau's Employment Policy Institute (EPI).
In fact, Illinois was listed as one of 25 states with a teen unemployment rate averaging more than 25 percent. The nation's teen unemployment rate is 24.2 percent. Read more »
Activists from the Stand Up! Chicago coalition, Occupy Chicago,
and other supporters participated in the International Day of Action by
taking over the LaSalle Street bridge on Thursday afternoon. According
to organizers, more than 2,000 people rallied at the Thompson Center and
marched to the bridge, shutting it down for over an hour to protest
budget cuts and demand jobs. The bridge is just one example of
infrastructure around the city in need of repairs and symbolized an
“Economic Emergency for the 99%,” according to the groups.
As schools let out for the summer, Illinois teens face an uphill battle if they are looking for a summer gig, according to new numbers from the Census Bureau's Employment Policy Institute (EPI). 