Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Spring has barely sprung, but thoughts have already turned to what millions of young Americans will do this summer. High school and college-aged students could once look forward to spending their lazy, hazy vacation days working as camp counselors or doing temp work at restaurants, farms, and local small businesses. But as the recession drags on, more and more middle-aged people are competing for these positions. As a result, it’s likely that the teenage unemployment rate, already at a three-decade high, will remain elevated again this summer.
Though this problem cuts across racial and geographic lines, it is particularly acute in America’s cities and its minority communities, which are already wrestling with joblessness at levels well-above the national average. To fight this, a former mayor of New Orleans has now asked for a “jobs surge” in hard-hit urban centers to combat youth unemployment. (Funny enough, it echoes an idea we mentioned last month here on "Restoration and Resilience"). We think that this strategy should involve wetland restoration projects that will protect cities against storm surges and other natural hazards.
The Summer Jobs Surge
2009 average unemployment by racial background in the United States (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)
In a report released last Wednesday, National Urban League President (NUL) Marc Morial, who led New Orleans from 1994 to 2002, asked the Obama Administration to devote $5 to $7 billion to an expansion of youth summer job programs. NUL estimates that this expansion could provide up to five million jobs for teenagers this summer.
Conservation work in urban wetlands would be a natural fit for a more comprehensive summer jobs program. As we’ve begun showing in our analysis of the Central Wetlands Unit restoration, employment opportunities could be available for people with little education and few advanced skills. A “jobs surge” in coastal restoration and marsh rehabilitation could provide employment for young people and protection of vulnerable infrastructure in their neighborhoods.
Not Just for New Orleans
The benefits would not just be limited to communities in coastal Louisiana. Two of the country’s five largest cities – New York and Houston – lie in the zone of Atlantic hurricane landfalls. In these areas, restored wetlands could provide valuable services like storm surge protection, carbon sequestration, and wastewater treatment.
Map of Jamaica Bay and surrounding neighborhoods in New York City (Source: Department of City Planning, New York City)
Already, Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York has allocated $115 million for rehabilitation of Jamaica Bay, a wetland area just south of John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport, one of the nation’s busiest. Jamaica Bay is an important habitat for migratory birds along the Atlantic Flyway, and provides a storm surge buffer for JFK and nearby neighborhoods like Canarsie and Howard Beach. New York City should work with organizations involved in its Department of Youth and Community Development's Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) to get teenagers from Brooklyn, Queens, and other boroughs involved in this restoration work. In a similar way, wetlands near other urban centers could be targeted for investment and summer jobs programs.
Let's hope lawmakers act fast. Otherwise, the only program coming this June to a couch near you will be a re-run of the young and the listless.