Mayor Johnson announces expansion of One Summer Chicago jobs program

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Mayor Brandon Johnson said thousands of jobs will be available for young people in the city this summer.

Mayor Johnson said this year's One Summer Chicago jobs program will be better and bigger than ever.

The plan is the not only add some 4,000 to the number of summer employment opportunities offered, but also expand the type of jobs offered.

The mayor made the announcement at Dyett High School on the South Side.

The school was chosen because its where Johnson, before he was mayor, participated in the hunger strike to keep the school open and because of current plans to expand sustainable high schools like it.

The program is puts young people ages 16 to 24 years old to work in jobs ranging from tech to health care. They work 15 to 20 hours a week, earning minimum wage an hour for a total of six weeks.

According to available data, the unemployment rate for Black youth 16 to 24 is 14.2 percent versus white youth the same age is 7.3 percent.

The mayor added $76-million to the city's budget to expand the program. The city looks to employ roughly 28,000 young people.

"I know it's an ambitious goal, but I've made a commitment to doubling the amount of employment opportunities for the children in the city of Chicago and One Summer Chicago is a very crucial program in helping us secure a pathway to reach that goal," Mayor Johnson said.

It runs from June 24 to August 2. Applications for the program are open now.