AFRO Staff Writer
YouthWorks, the program within the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment Development that provides a five-week summer job opportunity to thousands of Baltimore City youth and young adults will return in 2026. The program, which began in 1973 as “Blue Chip,” creates employment opportunities each year for people ages 14 to 21. Applications for the 2026 program opened Jan. 2 and close March 7.
Those accepted into the program will work from Monday, June 29 to Friday, July 31. Youth may work up to five hours per day and five days per week totaling 25 hours. Youth assigned to private-sector placements may work additional hours depending on the employer.
Each five-week summer session provides YouthWorks participants with a paycheck, professional mentoring and career-specific training, which they can carry forward into adulthood…