(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Bowser officially kicked off the 40th year of the Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program (MBSYEP) by announcing a new partnership with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), an independent bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. MBSYEP 2019 will begin on Monday, June 24, and will end on Friday, August 2.
“For 40 years, our city’s Summer Youth Employment Program has provided young people in Washington, DC opportunities and experiences that allow them to develop critical work skills, meet mentors, and stay safe and productive throughout the summer months,” said Mayor Bowser. “This year, we are thankful to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for working with us to bring this new partnership to life and investing in our youth – the future of our community.”
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency High School Internship Program will provide MBSYEP participants who are entering their senior year of high school the opportunity to explore career paths within the financial services industry and the federal government and gain work experience related to bank supervision. Interns will earn $20 per hour. OCC has committed additional funding for the program through 2030, totaling $3.5 million.
“With continued investments toward workforce training, especially aimed at the youth, we are able to ensure that our youngest job seekers receive a fair shot at career advancement,” said Department of Employment Services Director Dr. Unique Morris-Hughes. “The Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program opens doors and encourages our youth to dream big. We could not do this without the help of our employer partners who share the same vision as the great Marion S. Barry.”
In 2018, nearly 11,000 young Washingtonians participated in MBSYEP, working more than 1.3 million total hours.
Established in 1979 by Mayor Marion S. Barry, MBSYEP is a locally-funded initiative that provides District youth with six weeks of summer work experience through subsidized placements in the private and public sectors. The program partners with hundreds of DC employers that are uniquely positioned to provide relevant training and employment guidance to DC’s youth.
In 2015, Mayor Bowser expanded the program to include District residents ages 22-24. In 2017, the same year the expansion became permanent, 1,000 DC youth ages 22-24 earned more than $1.8 million in wages through the program. Many of these young people came from Wards 7 and 8, where unemployment rates and the opportunity gap are the highest. That same year, the program launched the Mayor’s Opportunity Scholarship, a pilot program designed to support MBSYEP participants in their post-secondary endeavors. Under the Bowser Administration, MBSYEP participants have received over $300,000 in scholarships for college, training, and military programs.
In recent years, the MBSYEP rolled out CareerEdge and JabaTalks, new technology platforms that allow participants to use their mobile devices to complete professional development sessions, practice job interviews, and connect with employers.
MBSYEP is one of the largest summer jobs programs in the country and stands as a national model. The District has been recognized as one of the top cities for summer jobs by Forbes.com and WalletHub.com.
For more information about MBSYEP, visit summerjobs.dc.gov.