The COVID-19 Pandemic revealed an unquestionable reliance on youth-workers as many of them answered the call to work in the care centers for the children of hospital staff, grocery store workers and emergency services.  They worked on the front lines with children and their families to meet their needs at the height of the pandemic.  Youth-workers were also sent into places deemed unsafe for teachers and were amongst the first to get cut when budgets were being slashed in the economic slowdown.  Youth-workers felt both essential and dispensable over the past 18 months, raising long-held concerns about their rights, protections and compensation. The CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies and The CUNY SPS Youth Studies Department have teamed up to explore current dilemmas and possibilities related to the labor force and the field of youth development. 

The first convening in this two part series will help workers understand various options for gaining more power at work, how to access these options as well as surface some of the dilemmas that may arise with the different strategies.  The convening will feature a panel with three interesting models of organized labor for collective consideration and ample time for small group discussion.