Artists For Humanity Leads Unprecedented Summer Employment Opportunities for Boston Youth and Young Adults

Artists For Humanity (AFH) continues its ongoing partnership with the City of Boston’s Worker Empowerment’s Office of Youth Employment and Opportunity (YEO’s) futureBOS initiative, offering unprecedented employment opportunities for both Boston youth and, through its SuccessLink Program, young adults ages 14-24. 

Mayor Michelle Wu is championing this progressive program, and during its launch noted, “We’re taking our nation-leading youth summer jobs program to the next level with employers, more opportunities and a guarantee for every BPS student to access a paid summer job.” 

AFH Facilitates Over 460 Youth and Young Adult Jobs This Summer 

AFH has been entrusted by Mayor Wu and the City of Boston’s YEO office to serve as the lead facilitator of over 460 summer youth and young adult jobs, generating nearly $1.4 million in summer wages for Boston teens and young adults. 

“Artists For Humanity is a pioneer for youth employment in Boston and a role model for building equity, and it is fitting for them to serve as our SuccessLink Coalition Lead to support our City’s ambitious youth employment goals. I’m thrilled for their ongoing partnership to ensure that Boston continues to empower and uplift our young people,” said Mayor Michelle Wu.

This summer, AFH is employing 239 teens and 28 young adults, working across seven creative studios as teen artists and designers, and diverse administrative departments, from marketing, client services to development and finance. 

First day of 2024 Summer Jobs at Artists For Humanity!

As the SuccessLink Coalition Lead, AFH is administering nearly 200 youth and young adult jobs by supporting 10 Boston nonprofits: 617Peak, Aashka Dance, Boston CyberArts, Learn2Teach, OrigiNation Cultural Arts Center, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, SWBDC, Eliot School, DotHouse Health/FCCC, and Beat the Odds Boston. 

With this ongoing coordination role, AFH is responsible for connecting all teens in Boston with meaningful employment through the SuccessLink program by:

• Advocating and Coordinating Allocations

• Leading Orientations and Trainings

• Ensuring Employment Compliance

• Processing Payroll

• Conducting Surveys and Collecting Feedback

No Small Feat

AFH is honored to have the opportunity to be both a participating and coordinating partner with the City to ensure youth and young adults have meaningful and inspiring work for the summer—creating positive pathways toward advancing their professional and personal development and in turn, building Boston’s future.

"At Artists For Humanity, we couldn't be more proud to continue to be a part of summer youth employment in partnership with the City of Boston and the Office of Youth Employment and Opportunity," said Anna Yu, Executive Director of Artists For Humanity. “For generations we have seen summer employment transform teen lives by inspiring creative avenues for post-secondary learning and career pathways. We are excited to play a part in fulfilling Mayor Wu's promise to give every teen a safe and productive place to work, learn and grow."

About Artists For Humanity

Artists For Humanity (AFH) was founded in 1991 as a space for young creatives to thrive—a bridge between raw teen talent and the City of Boston. Today, it is a powerhouse of art and design, harnessing the power of mentorship and paid professional experiences to inspire teens to build their future. AFH offers art and design solutions, transforms spaces, and builds social equity. With studios in Boston and NYC, AFH teens sit at the table with industry professionals where their opinions are valued. Working alongside professional mentors, 400+ teens are employed annually to design, build, animate, code, photograph, film, paint, and create compelling solutions for our clients. AFH teens transcend economic, racial and social divisions to transform communities through creative expression. By hiring AFH, our partners contribute to economic vitality, thriving communities and diversifying new networks for the next generation. 

Contact for more information: Lorraine Johnson, Artists For Humanity, Director of Marketing and Branding at 617.268.7620 x 220 or ljohnson@afhboston.org.