Returning to civilian life after six years in the army, Edward Morgan, 27, found himself adrift in his native Dorchester. “I did random jobs. I was a driver, a chef. They didn’t last too long. I found myself getting in trouble and I couldn’t sustain those jobs,” he said. When he joined Operation Exit, a career preparation program for at-risk young people, Morgan couldn’t quite believe his luck: A three-week training in the building trades culminating in placement services for union apprenticeships starting at $19-24 per hour.

By the time he arrived in Greensboro, North Carolina last week, Devin Edwards had already undertaken the journey of a lifetime. Edwards, 22, grew up in hard circumstances on the streets of Boston. But as a young adult, he found a second chance learning to code in Operation Exit's Resilient Coders program, excelled in a paid internship in Boston's Health & Human Services Department through the Professional Pathways program, and delivered a speech this summer before Mayor Walsh, local media, and youth participants in the city's Summer Youth Employment program.

Graduates of YOU Boston’s summer employment program gathered yesterday with Mayor Walsh, community leaders, public safety officials, and employers to celebrate the seven weeks they spent working jobs that benefited both the community and themselves. The program participants – all high-risk young people – beautified school grounds, prepared hot meals for residents, and planted community gardens, among other jobs. At wages of $10 hour, they also earned an average of approximately $1,600 for the summer.

While violent images on the national news expose tensions between law enforcement and communities of color, young people in Boston are creating their own images to promote dialogue. With the help of Press Pass TV, YOU Boston participants joined with other area youth to make videos that capture their perspectives on race and policing.

From the back of the YOU Boston conference room, Khalif McCloud raised his hand to share his thoughts. "Without YOU, I'd still be the street person I was before," he said. "Without this program, there's a lot of strife out there. It's hard." His peers nodded in agreement. They were young, all 18-24, from high-risk backgrounds. Some had been incarcerated or court-involved. But because of the program they were here to celebrate, Professional Pathways, they were also something else entirely: successful young interns in city government.

Mayor Walsh has announced the creation of the Urban Farming Pathways Initiative, a jobs training program for citizens returning from incarceration. The program, which will be overseen by YOU Boston, will train 25 young people in urban agriculture on a city-owned parcel. In its first year, the initiative aims to grow 5,000 pounds of healthy produce to distribute to 1,000 residents through five farmers' markets in Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan.

Lawrence Brown, 26, needed a hand. When the Boston Center for Youth and Families streetworker program (which works with at-risk youth to de-escalate street violence) met Lawrence, they found a determined young person who needed employment. They referred him to Operation Exit, an initiative under Youth Options Unlimited Boston and the Mayor's Office of Public Safety.

Summer is just around the corner, which means YOU Boston is getting ready for our 2016 Summer Employment Program. We are currently accepting referrals for any young person aged 14-24 who would like to take part in a meaningful employment experience this summer.