Although COVID-19 restrictions are now being lifted throughout New York, COVID-19 concerns have presented obstacles for Queens Community House (QCH) as they worked toward the kickoff of their Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP).
Through SYEP, QCH, one of the largest social service organizations in Queens, provides youth between the ages of 14 and 24 with career exploration opportunities and paid work experiences. Participants explore their interests and career pathways, develop workplace skills, and engage in learning experiences that help to develop their social, civic and leadership skills.
Months leading up to each summer, QCH looks for businesses to partner with and recruit worksites for SYEP. One of the major hurdles this year has been the amount of participants businesses are willing to accept. According to Carlene Asphall, QCH Youth Workforce Program Manager, many businesses are accepting only half the number of SYEP participants that they would normally welcome. “Businesses are factoring in maintaining social distancing while accounting for their existing staff to avoid having too many people in-person at one time,” said Asphall.
Reopening of New York City has also resulted in a limited number of virtual worksites available for QCH’s SYEP, as businesses transition back to in-person operations. “We have a lot of in-person worksites, but some parents and their children are hesitant to go back to in-person settings and would rather participate virtually,” said Asphall.
Alexandria Sumpter-Delves, Division Director of Youth Workforce of QCH, said that the initial struggle to confirm worksites for SYEP was due to COVID concerns and the uncertainty of the city reopening. “When we were reaching out to businesses in February, many were hesitant to be an SYEP worksite because they were unsure about how they’d be operating during the summer, but now we’re hearing yeses from them as the city reopens,” said Sumpter-Delves.
Despite the obstacles that have come with this year’s SYEP launch, QCH looks forward to seeing young people engaged in a program that provides work experience and workforce readiness opportunities. “This has been a challenging time for young people looking for opportunities to grow, so we need to reinforce the importance of helping the youth develop social, civic, and leadership skills to prepare them for the future, and SYEP is a great way to do that,” said Sumpter-Delves.
Participants will have the opportunity to work in a variety of jobs at government agencies, non-profit organizations, hospitals, law firms, retail businesses, and more. Some of the confirmed QCH SYEP worksites for this year include the Office of the Queens Borough President, New York City Health and Hospitals in Elmhurst, Fairview Nursing Care Center, Buffalo Wild Wings, the Office of Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, Astoria Film Festival, and the New York City Department of Design and Construction, among many others.
