Paid Opportunities & More for Teens

Looking for a paid internship, a scholarship, or a free class? We will post opportunities for teens from BPL and other NYC institutions regularly here to make sure our info is up to date. Feel free to contact BPL or email bklynfuture@bklynlibrary.org with any questions about these and other opportunities! 

Opportunities at Brooklyn Public Library

BPL's Teen Writing Contest
If you're a teen writer from New York City, grades 6-12, you're invited to submit your poetry and prose to be judged by a panel of BPL's expert young adult librarians for creativity, style and voice. Accepting submissions through March 31. Cash prizes!

BPL College Connect
If you are thinking about applying to college or another post-secondary educational program, you can book a free online appointment with a BPL staff member who will help you with the admissions process. 

Beyond BPL: Free & Paid Opportunities, listed in order of application deadline

Intrepid Museum: Goals for Girls
The GOALS Summer Intensive is a free STEM program for girls in eighth or ninth grade who are New York City residents and attend a school in the five boroughs. The program runs for six weeks, from July 6, 2021 to August 13, 2021. Apply here by April 6. 

Changemakers Challenge
This nationwide opportunity gives young leaders the chance to take their ideas on how to create more connected, sustainable and inclusive communities and make them a reality. Enter your idea by April 8. 

Teen Transmitters at the Paley Center
Teen Transmitters is the Paley Center's paid summer internship for rising juniors and seniors in NYC public high schools who are interested in exploring media literacy, production, and college/career readiness. Apply here by April 9. 

Met Museum High School Internship Program
The Met High School Internship Program offers paid opportunities for students who either reside in or attend a high school or home school in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut. Applicants for the summer internship program must be rising juniors or rising seniors on the application deadline date. The program allows students to connect with arts, museum, and creative professionals as they develop professional skills, network, and gain work experience. Apply here by April 15. 

The Door: Train & Earn Customer Service Program
"We offer paid job trainings for culinary and customer service careers to 16-24 year olds who are not in school (graduated, drop out, discharged) AND unemployed. Participants will receive 5 weeks of workshops ending with a nationally recognized certification (NRF or ServSafe), as well as active job search with the help of a job developer and one year of follow up services. They’re also eligible for a 175 hour internship paid at minimum wage.
We are currently in the process of recruiting young people for our next cohort that will begin on April 26th.
Thursdays (4/1, 4/8, 4/15) at 11AM we will be hosting virtual Info Sessions. 
Interested young people can RSVP for an info session at https://trainandearninfosession.eventbrite.com!"

Museum of Arts and Design: Artslife Internship
Artslife is a paid summer internship program for rising sophomores and juniors in high school that combines art and design with leadership training, museum studies, and community engagement. Apply online by April 18.

Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP)
NYC's youth employment program for ages 14-21 is accepting online applications through April 23. Apply here for paid summer employment.

Pencil: Ladders for Leaders 
Apply via SYEP application by April 23 for Summer 2021 for this highly regarded and competitive paid summer internship program, operated with support from NYC Department of Youth and Community Development.

ARAS Pioneer Teens: Free Arts Program
ARAS Pioneer Teens is an intensive free two-week art program for teens ages 14 - 17 in New York City. All supplies provided.
Apply here by May 1. 

Weill Cornell Medicine: High School Programs
The Weill Cornell Youth Scholars Program application will be available in the spring. For more information, email wcysp@med.cornell.edu.

Brooklyn Museum
Join Brooklyn Museum's BKM Teen mailing list to get updates about their paid internships for teens. 

Scholarships, listed in order of application deadline

Games For Change Student Challenge
The annual G4C Student Challenge is a national game design competition that challenges middle and high school students to design and code games about real-world issues. Students enter their original games and compete to win awesome prizes including games, technology, and a $1,000 Grand Prize Scholarship!  
The 2021 G4C Student Challenge is open for submissions! The deadline to enter the competition is April 16.

Digital Responsibility Scholarships
Four scholarships, with varying deadlines. The first deadline, for the E-waste scholarship, is April 30. 

Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest
$20,000 in cash scholarships to high school students who make the best prom attire out of Duck® Brand Duct Tape! Submit your creation online by July 21. 

Where to search for internships, volunteer positions, and after school and summer programs

Careerwise
CareerWise New York is a youth apprenticeship system based in New York City offering a three-year applied-learning environment for high school students.

NYC Service
Search engine & database for volunteering opportunities (can search by "ideal for teens").

NYC Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD)
Various internship programs (many school-based). Your  school may need to be a partner site for you to enroll in some programs. 

Torus Teens
Search engine & database for afterschool & summer programs (can limit search to "internships").

Chegg Internships
Search engine & database for internships.

Opportuniteens
A “for teens by teens" internship search engine & database.

Just Serve
Directory of volunteer opportunities, including volunteering remotely or from home

Inside Schools: Free Programs
Directory of free and low-cost learning programs, including afterschool programs, summer programs and internships (note: some listings may be out of date)