Thousands of students from 19 CUNY colleges are working this summer at paid internships provided by the CUNY Recovery Corps, a new partnership with New York City created to employ students through the revived Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) and help the city reinvigorate its economy in the aftermath of the pandemic downturn.
Since early July, 4,100 students have been working at hundreds of small businesses, public health organizations, community-based nonprofits, cultural arts institutions, government agencies and local schools throughout the five boroughs. The special Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) for CUNY students is the product of the University’s collaboration with the city’s Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) and the NYC Center for Youth Employment.
“The CUNY Recovery Corps and its participants are helping to revitalize, reinvigorate and rebuild New York, and in so doing they are extending the University’s history of service to our city and state,” said Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “We are at a turning point in our long battle with COVID-19 and I am grateful to DYCD and the Center for Youth Employment for their vital role in making this program a success for our students, our University and the city.”
“The idea behind SYEP CUNY Recovery Corps was to center CUNY students and their service to New York City communities in our summer of Recovery for All,” said Phil Thompson, deputy mayor for strategic policy initiatives. “Recovery Corps participants have supported small businesses, mentored younger students, helped with public health campaigns, and made countless other contributions to the life of the city—all while refining their interests and skills toward successful careers following graduation.”
“The Summer Youth Employment Program has been a rite of passage for young people in New York City since 1963. But this summer, SYEP took on an even more critical role by connecting participants with opportunities to help the City rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said DYCD Commissioner Bill Chong. “As part of CUNY Recovery Corps, undergraduate students received invaluable work experience while helping businesses, schools, community-based organizations, government agencies and other partners get back on their feet. DYCD was proud to team up with CUNY, the Mayor’s Office, the City Council, and hundreds of employers throughout the City in taking another important step in a recovery for all of us.”
“New York City has an enormous stake in the career success of CUNY students,” said David Fischer, executive director of the NYC Center for Youth Employment. “After more than a year of lockdowns, educational disruption, and job losses, SYEP CUNY Recovery Corps has helped deliver meaningful paid work experiences for thousands of New Yorkers, giving them a vital boost as they prepare to transition into the workforce.”
Priority Placement
In CUNY’s continuing effort to help its students adversely affected by the pandemic, priority placement for the CUNY Recovery Corps was given to those from 33 neighborhoods most impacted by COVID-19. Priority was also given to students who live in a New York City Housing Authority building; students who are or have been part of the foster care system; students who are homeless or housing-insecure; and students who receive public assistance.
Students in the Recovery Corps are working 25 hours a week, for six weeks, while earning $2,250 and gaining crucial work experience and skills they will need to land the jobs they want after completing their education.
They are students like Elijah Nuñez, a Harlem resident who graduated from City College in the spring with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Black Studies. This summer, Elijah has been working at The Point, a community-based nonprofit devoted to youth development and the revitalization of the South Bronx. Whether he is collecting stories from long-time residents for a project to preserve the neighborhood’s history or checking in on them to see if they need anything, Nuñez said he has found his calling. “Working in a job that’s a service to people is something that is in my heart,” he added. “It gave me a vision of what programs like this can do.”
Elijah is a veteran of CUNY service programs. He worked with CUNY Service Corps, rebuilding homes in Puerto Rico after the devastation of Hurricanes Maria and Irma. He went on to join the CUNY Census Corps, working to engage the hard-to-reach communities that are persistently underrepresented in the U.S. Census.
Reciprocal Benefits
Students in the CUNY Recovery Corps have found that working in summer jobs that help communities has transformed them as well.
Teresa Mettela, a City College-Macaulay senior and aspiring journalist, saw her freelance writing opportunities with local newspapers disappear during the pandemic while both her parents lost their software engineer jobs. Now, she’s interning at the NYC Center for Youth Employment, using her skills to document the work of its youth programs.
“Thanks to the CUNY Recovery Corps, most of what I’m doing is journalism-based, so I’m building on the skills I have,” Mettela said. “It’s very personalized to each student, which makes it unique.”
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