New York, New York - New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the expansion of the city's Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) in a press conference at City Hall on Tuesday afternoon.

The expansion comes from a pledge by the mayor to grow the program as a part of his Blueprint to End Gun Violence, which he released back in January.

The new investment of $79 million into the program will grow the program's budget by 50%, and will provide 100,000 jobs for young applicants during the summer of 2022.

"Young people in this city should have the opportunity to work or learn this summer, and this historic investment will help secure a better future for tens of thousands while helping to make our city safer," Eric Adams said. "We owe it to our children to give them every opportunity to thrive, and this expansion will do just that."

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The program is the largest state funded youth employment program in the country and has been run by the Queens Community House for over 60 years.

Its mission is to provide youth with, "the opportunity to explore their interests and career pathways, develop workplace skills and engage in learning experiences that help in developing their social, civic and leadership skills."

Adams believes that the program will help quell the rising rate of gun violence and crime in NYC. The city pointed to a study from last year, which "found that SYEP participation lowers participants’ chances of being arrested that summer by 17% and by 23% for felony arrests."

The deadline to submit an application will be April 10, 2022, and the submission process is based on a lottery.