Press Release  AG Healey Announces Summer Jobs Grant Recipients During Visit to Chelsea Collaborative

Boston — Aimed at providing underserved youth with opportunities for both employment and health and wellness, Attorney General Maura Healey today announced that more than $300,000 in grant funding has been awarded to 46 organizations for an estimated 200 summer youth jobs across Massachusetts. AG Healey announced the grant winners while visiting the Chelsea Collaborative summer youth group during its summer jobs orientation.

“Keeping young people off the streets in the summer months by offering them the chance to challenge themselves in a variety of ways while getting paid is a proactive way to keep them safe,” said AG Healey. “By focusing these grants on jobs in health and wellness, violence prevention and anti-bullying, we’re taking on a number of key issues confronting our youth today.”

The Summer Youth Jobs Grant Program is funded with more than $300,000 recovered by the AG’s Office from consent judgments against pharmaceutical companies Johnson & Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline. Beyond increasing youth employment, funding will also promote physical fitness and wellness activities for Massachusetts youth.

Between 2000 and 2014, the teen employment rate has dropped to 30 percent from 45 percent. Additionally, research shows that the average American child watches about 35 hours of television a week, an increase of more than two hours per week since 2009 and a 12 percent increase over the last nine years

The Chelsea Collaborative’s summer jobs program is a response to increased gang and youth violence in Chelsea. The program works to provide youth with structured employment opportunities and positive adult mentors.

Other grant recipients include Boys & Girls Clubs across the state, the City of Lowell, the Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition. A complete list of grant awardees can be found on the AG’s website.

Examples of youth jobs that received funding include:

• Working as a coach, team leader, or mentor for a pre-existing sports- related activity for youth of documented low socio-economic status;
• Assist in teaching arts and cooking classes;
• Helping community gardening efforts to grow fresh produce for food banks; and
• Participating in anti-bullying workshops.

The programs funded by the grants will provide youth employment from July 6 to August 28.

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