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 »
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 »
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). 