Last year, Mayor Murray piloted the Mayor’s Youth Employment Initiative (MYEI) as a commitment to prepare Seattle Youth for meaningful and successful employment. Meaningful learning opportunities at the right time can be the key to a future of opportunity for many youth. The Mayor’s Youth Employment Initiative provides needed income and first-time employment experiences for youth that can connect them to future education and career options. The initiative builds career pathways for young people and creates a recruitment pipeline for local businesses seeking skilled workers.
The Mayor is asking private sector partners to join with the City of Seattle to invest in youth employment and paid internships. This year Mayor Murray has expanded the initiative to provide opportunities for 4,000 young people with special attention on environmental organizations.
Creating green career pathways for youth is a critical strategy to help us ensure that the environmental sector is a diverse one. The eye-opening Green 2.0 report (released nearly two years ago) showed that despite growing racial diversity in the United States, the 12% – 16% green ceiling still exists (and has been in place for decades). We all have a role in shifting that dynamic.
If there are jobs in your organization that are considered “green jobs”, please consider participating.
Employers may participate in the following ways:
- Host one or more MYEI Interns
- We will match you with youth intern(s) from our program
- Donate
- Provide philanthropic support for interns outside your organization
- Pledge to Create or Expand Your Internship Program
- Let us know about your organization’s existing paid internship program and help us recognize your contributions to our community
For more information on the Mayor’s Youth Employment Initiative.