Those behind Albany’s summer youth employment program say it’s successful.

A study in 2019 indicated it has increased graduation rates, with students seeing a higher chance of graduating the longer they are in the program.

More recently, the mayor’s office pointed to the program as an option to help curb gun violence.

Jonathan Jones, commissioner for the city’s Department of Recreation and Youth and Workforce Services, says while that isn’t the program’s focus, it does have an impact.

“Our program isn’t so much crime reduction. It’s more career-oriented. It’s post-high school oriented, and we try to help our young people see the vision beyond today,” says Jones.

Jones has led the youth summer employment program for the past eight years. It runs almost as a paid internship.

Young people can sign up starting at age 14. They’ll work about 20 hours a week for five weeks, getting hands-on experience in different fields, as well as mentoring from industry professionals.

“We have a lot of young people that want to start their own businesses, so now they’re learning about how to start a business, what it takes to start this business, when businesses fail, what issues were caused,” says Jones.

This summer, 500 young people are expected to participate. While much of the mentoring will be done virtually, participants will still have the opportunity to visit different job sites.

Jones says the growth students experience over the five months is noticeable, and his favorite thing to watch unfold.

“You learn so much about those young people over the course of those five weeks,” says Jones, “but you also see their maturation in real time, and at that event, it all comes to full circle."