Authored by Olivera Jankovska, Mayor’s Office Director of Education & Youth Engagement, City of Houston
In Houston, we believe our youth are not just the future, they are the present. That’s why the Mayor’s Office of Education and Youth Engagement (MOEYE) has committed to expanding career opportunities for our city’s most vulnerable youth through an “earn and learn” model that connects opportunity youth with meaningful paid internships in the public sector.
Opportunity youth, defined as young people aged 16 to 24 who are not currently enrolled in school or participating in the workforce, make up approximately 14.2 percent of Houston’s youth population or 120,000 residents. Despite this group’s great potential, they face disproportionate barriers to employment, education and stable housing. We’re changing that.
With the support of the National League of Cities’ Advancing Economic Mobility Rapid Grant, we are building a scalable model that gives youth the hands-on experience, wraparound supports and mentorship they need to access long-term economic mobility. The goal is simple: remove barriers and build bridges.
From Summer Jobs to Year-Round Impact
Houston Mayor John Whitmire believes in investing in youth, and through our summer workforce development programs, the City of Houston hires over 300 young people annually. One such program was TechConnect, in which opportunity youth interns provided STEM enrichment to local children through the Parks and Recreation department.
According to one former TechConnect intern, Leighton: “Teaching STEM to children and teens not only gave me hands-on experience in tech education but also helped me earn income to support my education goals and contribute to my family. This job helps me pay for my school supplies for my online classes, and helps me support myself and sometimes even my mother when needed. I’ve also learned a lot from my co-workers at City Hall and Parks & Rec; everyone has been super awesome! I feel like this opportunity has truly opened doors for my future, and I’m truly grateful for being selected for the chance to work for the City of Houston through TechConnect!” Building upon success stories like Leighton, the City will now provide another opportunity youth employment initiative.
The Mayor’s Office of Education and Youth Engagement will be providing year-round, part-time internships for opportunity youth across various city departments, from Parks and Recreation to the Department of Neighborhoods. Through our grant award from the Advancing Economic Mobility Rapid Grant, we plan to work with 13 opportunity youth in this new program initiative.
Participants will work 10 hours per week for up to 8 weeks per semester and are paid $15 per hour. Interns are doing impactful work such as event planning, policy research and social media and communications strategy, as well as monitoring relevant discussions at City Council meetings. Through this work, they’re gaining experience, transferable skills and exposure to civic leadership. Most importantly, they’re opening up pathways to careers in the public sector and beyond.
Our Model: Earn, Learn, Thrive
Our model doesn’t stop at the paycheck. Through multiple years and iterations of our program, we’ve learned that our services need to go beyond the salary to help our participants achieve long-term success. Each youth participant will be connected to at least one wraparound service, whether it’s mental health counseling, financial literacy training, childcare or transportation. We’ve partnered with leading community organizations like SERJobs, BridgeYear and the Greater Houston Opportunity Youth Collaborative to ensure that every young person gets the support they need — not just to participate, but to thrive.
Targeting Where It Matters Most
In order to identify participants for this new expansion of our opportunity youth program, the City is committed to leveraging data tools to meet community needs. We’ve developed a priority system based on zip codes and social vulnerability indicators developed for Houston by NYU’s City Health Dashboard to ensure we’re reaching the youth who need this opportunity most. We screen for specific criteria such as foster care history, teen parenthood, first-time employment and household income well below the poverty line. Using these criteria, we prioritize our communications and outreach to specific populations. This targeted outreach and engagement strategy allows us to direct resources where they will have the most impact, in the communities that have historically been left behind.
Scaling What Works
Our work with the Advancing Economic Mobility Rapid Grant builds off years of success working with opportunity youth. Leveraging this success, our goal is to expand this work into other areas and departments. We are ingraining this program into the fabric of our city’s youth infrastructure. Through continued collaboration with the Houston Summer Jobs program, city departments and higher education partners like the University of Houston and University of St. Thomas, we’re creating a pipeline from high school to career for opportunity youth.
We see this initiative as a crucial piece to Houston’s future alongside complementary initiatives coordinated by the Greater Houston Opportunity Youth Collaborative. By facilitating a career pathway for opportunity youth, combined with a focus on the services they’ll need to thrive beyond their career, we’re investing in our next generation. Ultimately, when our youth are employed, supported and given a chance to succeed, we all benefit in stronger communities, increased economic mobility and a more vibrant, prosperous society.
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