Durham has been chosen as one of six cities to participate in a national program aimed at improving opportunities for young people.
The Youth Champion Communities Mayors Challenge, organized by the National Youth Employment Coalition, focuses on addressing youth disengagement and bolstering economic opportunities for young people.
The initiative will be spearheaded locally by the Youth Mentoring Collaborative, a Durham-based nonprofit dedicated to strengthening mentoring organizations. The program will collaborate with the mayor’s office, Durham’s Office on Youth and a core team of youths and adult representatives from local organizations.
The Mayors Challenge represents the second phase of ongoing efforts to improve local youth mentoring opportunities. Phase one, focused on assessing the current landscape of youth mentorship in Durham, will conclude with a report release later this month. This report will provide recommendations for enhancing collaboration, programming and communication among mentoring organizations. It will also feature an online resource map to help members of the public locate existing mentoring opportunities.
As part of the Mayors Challenge, Durham will create an implementation plan based on the findings from the report. The city will present that plan at the National Youth Employment Coalition’s annual forum in Minneapolis in May.
The Mayors Challenge initiative will host a planning session on Saturday, Jan. 18, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at ReCity, 112 Broadway St. Advance registration is required. Those interested in attending should contact Sontee Dean for more information.
More information about the challenge is available online.
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