#syep hashtag stands for 'Summer Youth Employment Program' and used as a generic term for local employment programs usually funded in whole or part by the U.S. Dept of Labor and the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) program under the Employment and Training Administration (ETA).  The hastag was created in early 2009 by David Hoffman when it made the jump to the social media community has part of a work project he created to create meaningful work experiences for youth in his program.  The original pilot was in 2009 using the DC Summer Youth Employment Program but was later cancelled by the Dept of Employment Services Director, Joseph Walsh. The SYEP Social Media project got off to a strong start showing promise in quickly attracting clients who were interested in social media uses for marketing, politics, and issue campaigns.