* Warning: This is an unofficial, introductory copy of the bill.
The official copy considered by the City Council is the first reader copy.
Introductory*
City of Baltimore
Council Bill R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Cohen
A Resolution Entitled
A Council Resolution concerning
title
Calling for Support of the BMORE Invested Campaign for Year-Round Youth Jobs Program
For the purpose of requesting that the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, Baltimore City Public School System, Baltimore City Foundation, and business leaders support and work with the Community Law in Action’s BMORE Invested Campaign to expand YouthWorks from two 5-week summer sessions into a year-long program that is closely aligned with Career and Technical Education.
body
Whereas, YouthWorks is a program run by the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development serving youth between the ages of 14 and 21 through 5-week paid job placements over the summer;
Whereas, In 2018, more than 16,000 youth applied for just over 8,000 positions with Youth Works, demonstrating the widespread desire, among Baltimore City youth, to work;
Whereas, YouthWorks has provided thousands of young people with the opportunity to gain experience in a workplace, build their resumes, explore different careers, and keep busy and safe during the summer;
Whereas, YouthWorks’s tremendous value is widely recognized by the Baltimore City business community, with more than 900 workplaces accepting students to fill positions with their organizations;
Whereas, Baltimore’s youth are in crisis; 85 young adults under the age of 25 have been victims of homicide in 2018 alone, making up 30% of the City’s 290 homicides, and violent crime perpetrated by juveniles increased 30% from 2016 to 2017;
Whereas, Between 2012 and the first quarter of 2018 there have been nearly 20,000 juvenile arrests; while the arrest rate has decreased 46% over the past six years, the rate remains too high, as 583 youth were arrested between January and April of 2018;
Whereas, The unemployment rate in Baltimore City among 16-19 year olds is over 30%;
Whereas, We need to break the cycle of poverty and unemployment that perpetuates crime and violence in our communities;
Whereas, Youth job programs have been demonstrated to reduce crime and violence; students who participated in a summer job program in Chicago had 43% fewer violent-crime arrests over the 16 months following the end of the program;
Whereas, Youth employment has been demonstrated to teach responsibility, organization, and time management and to help establish good work habits, experience, and financial stability;
Whereas, Adolescent employment is positively associated with high school completion, college attendance, and improved employment outcomes in adulthood;
Whereas, Students from Community Law in Action (“CLIA”), an organization focused on youth leadership development and advocacy, have led the charge for the expansion of YouthWorks with their BMORE Invested campaign;
Whereas, CLIA’s Youth Advisory Council is working to develop a coalition of youth groups and adult allies that will work together to advocate for a budget line item for a year-long YouthWorks program in the 2020 Baltimore City Fiscal Operating Budget;
Whereas, The BMORE Invested Campaign calls for:
- Establishing a pilot program that creates a year-long YouthWorks opportunity for 350 14-18-year-olds in Baltimore City
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- Creating better job preference questions to match students with jobs so that there is a good match between the employers’ activities and the students’ interests and so that students are placed in jobs that relate to their career aspirations and
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- Requiring mandatory bi-weekly check-ins between supervisors and YouthWorks employees and the creation and implementation of a professional development plan
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- Increasing outreach and communication between youth and adults regarding youth employment issues so youth are better aware of existing opportunities;
Whereas, A pilot program is an important first step in the effort to establish a year-long YouthWorks program but it is only a first step; we must work towards the establishment of a year-long job program that meets all the needs of Baltimore City youth seeking employment.
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of Baltimore, That the Baltimore City Council requests that the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, Baltimore City Public School System, Baltimore City Foundation, and business leaders support and work with the Community Law in Action’s BMORE Invested Campaign to expand YouthWorks from two 5-week summer sessions into a year-long program that is closely aligned with Career and Technical Education.
And be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, the CEO of the Baltimore City School System, the Board of Directors of the Baltimore City Foundation, and the Mayor’s Legislative Liaison to the City Council.