Coletta Zapata, officials launch Boston City Youth Corps

Coletta Zapata, officials launch Boston City Youth Corps

Boston City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata (District 1) and the City of Boston recently announced the launch of the Boston City Youth Corps, a modernized revival of Boston’s historic Red Shirts Program designed to meet the needs of Boston today and prepare the workforce of tomorrow. The program will employ 400 young people to help address gaps in City services, beautify neighborhoods, and give youth a voice in identifying and addressing the needs of the communities they know best. Councilor Coletta Zapata’s longstanding advocacy for the program, including a budget amendment proposed during the FY27 Budget Review process, was instrumental in securing the investment needed to bring the program back to Boston.

“The Red Shirts program played a vital role in supporting the City of Boston by giving young people the opportunity to work in their neighborhoods, clean streets and parks, beautify public spaces, and build a lasting sense of responsibility and civic pride in the communities they called home. We’re bringing a new iteration of the program back through the Boston Youth Corps, where youth will continue to help beautify their communities while also having a voice in identifying the projects that matter most in their neighborhoods,” said Councilor Coletta Zapata. “Most importantly, this is about creating meaningful career pathways and economic opportunities that go beyond a first paycheck. Thank you to Mayor Wu, the Office of Youth Engagement and Advancement, and all of our City departments and partners for helping revitalize this important program and invest in Boston’s youth.”

Under the modern version, the Boston City Youth Corps will provide youth with paid employment during the school year, while helping the City of Boston address real gaps in city services and improve neighborhoods across the city. At the same time, the program will connect young people to meaningful career pathways and opportunities that extend beyond their first job. Opportunities will range from technology support at Boston Public Library branches and environmental work in urban forestry, climate resilience, and park stewardship to healthcare through BCYF and lifeguarding, as well as building trades, facilities management, business, and property management through the Boston Housing Authority.

Councilor Coletta Zapata has long championed the revival of Boston’s historic Red Shirts Program as a neighborhood-based quality-of-life task force to strengthen constituent services and address community needs citywide. In the spring, the Councilor hosted a hearing to explore the feasibility of bringing the program back and identify ways to modernize it for the needs of Boston today. Following that hearing, she proposed a budget amendment during the City Council’s FY27 budget review process to support the program’s revival. The amendment was accepted and included in the final FY27 operating budget, paving the way for the launch of the modernized Boston City Youth Corps.

In the 1980s and ‘90s, Mayor Thomas M. Menino launched the “1994 Summer of Opportunity” initiative, which hired youth to assist with city cleanups, park renovations, and trade skill development. Known informally as the “Red Shirts,” these highly visible crews were deployed in neighborhoods to address quality of life issues. The Red Shirts program supported a range of high-impact municipal tasks, including emptying trash barrels, sweeping sidewalks, shoveling hydrants, reporting abandoned vehicles, and clearing vacant lots.