By Milton Kirby | Atlanta, GA | May 12, 2026

Standing inside the historic Fox Theatre, Atlanta leaders, business executives, educators, and students gathered Monday for Mayor Andre Dickens’ fifth annual Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) “Signing Day,” celebrating one of the city’s fastest-growing workforce initiatives for young people.

The event brought together employers from across Metro Atlanta who pledged to provide jobs, internships, mentorships, and career exposure opportunities for Atlanta youth this summer.

What began during the Dickens administration as an ambitious workforce initiative has now grown into a citywide program that officials say has connected nearly 20,000 young people to paid work opportunities over the last four years.

“This has truly been a group project,” Dickens told the audience. “Nearly 20,000 young people have been connected to paid work in the city of Atlanta over the past four years.”

The mayor said the city invested more than $23 million in wages through the program during that period, calling it both an economic investment and a public safety strategy.

“We are seeing what happens when we are intentional about our investments in young people,” Dickens said. “When young people are filled with opportunities and busy learning while they earn, they are committed to their future.”

The annual event also highlighted the growing role businesses, nonprofits, cultural institutions, and city agencies are playing in preparing young Atlantans for the workforce.

Representatives from organizations including the Fox Theatre and TIME2GIVE described the program as more than a summer job initiative.

“This is about exposure, readiness, innovation, confidence-building, and ultimately creating real tangible pathways into future careers,” said Dr. Charity Rowe-Marshall, executive director of TIME2GIVE.

Rowe-Marshall said youth participating through the organization’s Innovation Studio Atlanta program are introduced to technology, entrepreneurship, logistics, manufacturing, design, marketing, and artificial intelligence through hands-on projects and workforce experiences.

“They learn by doing,” she said. “We are empowering them to be builders of technology, not just consumers.”

Officials repeatedly emphasized that the program’s impact extends far beyond temporary employment.

According to the city, nearly 6,000 youth participated in SYEP last summer alone, making it the program’s largest cohort to date. At least 38 participants transitioned from summer placements into permanent career opportunities afterward.

The program is open to Atlanta residents ages 14 to 24 and places participants in industries ranging from healthcare and government to technology, hospitality, logistics, and the arts. Participants can earn up to $15 per hour while gaining workplace training and mentorship.

Atlanta Department of Labor and Employment Services Commissioner Dr. Theresa Austin-Gibbons said the workforce landscape is changing rapidly because of automation, digital technologies, and artificial intelligence.

“That is why SYEP focuses on strong STEM program design while understanding that soft skills and technical skills must work together,” Austin-Gibbons said.

She noted that participants receive financial literacy education, workplace readiness instruction, conflict resolution training, and guidance on responsible AI usage before beginning work placements.

“Our youth are learning not just how to do a job, but how to show up and be successful,” she said.

The event also featured testimony from former participants whose careers began through the program.

Christopher Hobbs, a graduate of Florida A&M University currently completing his Master of Public Administration degree, described how his internship with the Atlanta Department of Labor and Employment Services helped shape his professional future.

“My experience with ATL DOLS gave me hope,” Hobbs said. “The skills, confidence, professionalism, exposure, and hope I gained in SYEP stayed with me long after the summer ended.”

Hobbs now works as an assistant project manager for Georgia Power.

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum connected the program directly to the city’s broader public safety efforts, arguing that youth investment is one of the strongest crime prevention tools available.

“When we attack youth crime in our city, we don’t attack it by handcuffs,” Schierbaum said. “If we’re at the point of handcuffs, we’re standing at the point of failure.”

The chief credited initiatives like SYEP with helping Atlanta continue reductions in violent crime, shootings, and homicides over recent years.

“This is what crime fighting looks like in Atlanta,” Schierbaum said. “This is where we invest in our young people to make sure we are creating citizens.”

Fox Theatre CEO Allan C. Vella said the theater’s mission to “preserve and share” and “strengthen communities through theater” closely aligns with the city’s youth employment initiative.

The Fox has participated in the program for years by offering internships and professional development opportunities to students interested in arts and entertainment careers.

“When we create pathways for young people to succeed, we strengthen the future of our city,” Vella said.

The event concluded with employers signing formal pledges to support Atlanta youth this summer as city leaders encouraged additional businesses to participate.

Registration for Atlanta’s 2026 Summer Youth Employment Program remains open for both youth applicants and employer partners. Placements are expected to begin in June.

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