Feb. 21--More than a thousand teens from across the state will rally at Faneuil Hall, the State House and outside major Hub companies today to call for more hiring of youths and funding for jobs programs.
The group will be addressed by Mayor Thomas M. Menino at Faneuil Hall before heading to the State House. There, members of the group will push legislators to increase funding for the YouthWorks and School to Career Connecting Activities programs, and pass new tax revenue to make this more feasible.
Lew Finfer of the statewide Youth Jobs Coalition said Boston has 357 companies with 100-plus employees and 46 with 500-plus employees that are not hiring youths. These include several prominent financial firms. Others, such as John Hancock, Stop & Shop and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, are setting a better example, he added.
"Most of them are profitable companies, and they can do something in this and make a difference for youth in their development, as well as help their companies by training that future work force," Finfer said.
Only 27 percent of youths in the Bay State had jobs in 2012, compared to 54 percent in 1999, Finfer said. Teens marching today will come from 13 cities, including Boston, Worcester and Springfield.
