Young and jobless in Chicago

Part 1: For students, a summer without jobs

By Andre Damon

1 July 2011

This summer, only one in four US teenagers will hold a job, and in major cities like Chicago, the rate is far worse. In addition to job losses from the economic crisis, thousands of young people are out of work this year as a result of cuts to Chicago’s youth employment programs. For young people trying to pay for college by working over the summer, finding a job is almost impossible.

In this video, the first in a series on youth unemployment in Chicago, young people speak out about the lack of summer jobs and social inequality. The next videos in the series will focus on joblessness among young graduates, and the effect of budget cuts on young people.