New Options

Your source for youth perspectives on innovation and policies designed to connect youth to the new economy.

(Paul Sableman)

Employing Young People May Prevent Violence, But Where Are the Jobs?

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Summer is here, which means that high school students across the United States are looking for jobs. And as it turns out, there may be an added benefit for them, besides having extra money in their pockets. According to a study conducted by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University employing young people may reduce violence.

Though the sample size is small — only about 400 young people from the Boston area — the study showed that participants committed about 50% less crime when they were enrolled in a job training and violence prevention program. In the initial survey, taken at the beginning of the summer, 15 percent of the young people hired claimed to have been involved in a fight in the last month. At the end of the program, this number reduced to 8 percent.

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Jobstacles: For Teens, Soft Skills Are Hard Skills

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Three years ago, when Christian Hernandez was 16 years old, he recorded a joke voicemail greeting. It starts off with, “Hello. Hey! Uh, can’t understand you.” It’s meant to trick the caller into thinking it’s Hernandez on the phone. Eventually, callers hear, “Ha, voicemail! You know what to do stupid.” Now, at 19, Hernandez is looking for a job, and the greeting which started off as a joke for friends is now a liability.

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