May 24, 2004

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley announced the beginning of KidStart, the city's summer youth initiative on April 14, 2004. KidStart serves tens of thousands of youth all across the city by providing educational and recreational programs and summer jobs, ranging from lifeguard to tutor, to office worker. With his commitment to ensure that all youth in Chicago are provided opportunities to expand their horizons, the mayor has dedicated resources from various city departments and sister agencies to ensure that as many as youth are served this summer as possible.

"Every summer, under our KidStart program, we provide tens of thousands of children and teenagers with positive, constructive alternatives so they can learn, work expand their horizons or just stay off the street," Daley stated during the official kick off of the of the summer initiative.

Last summer the KidStart program was able to provide more than 146,000 opportunities in programs focusing on reading, sports, and technology. City departments, sister agencies and outside businesses employed 14,330 teenagers during the summer months.

"This summer, despite our continuing budget constraints, we hope to meet or exceed these goals," Daley said. We need to be creative and resourceful in order to maximize summer opportunities for young people."

The city and sister agencies will offer nearly 16,000 summer job opportunities this summer. After School Matters, a non-profit organization that partners with the city of Chicago, the Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Park District, and the Chicago Public Library to expand out-of'school opportunities for Chicago teens, will lead the coordination of six large community based organizations, which include Chicago Youth Centers and the YMCA, to offer 2,400 paid apprenticeships throughout the city.

Daley stressed that the efforts by the city and After School Matters will not be sufficient to meet the growing demand for summer jobs for youth and called on local businesses to step up and hire teens for the summer. The mayor sent out letters inviting businesses across the city to participate, whether by hiring youth during the summer months or by contributing funding to the program.

"Whether it's one or one hundred," he said, "every job counts. Today, a business can hire a young person to work for six weeks at minimum wage and the cost is less than $1,500. For part-time summer workers, the cost is less than $750. For many of our teenagers, nothing can be more important than having a job."