Denver mayor announces new initiatives to prevent youth violence over the summer

DENVER — Mayor Mike Johnston announced a new set of initiatives Monday to help prevent youth violence over the summer.

The city hopes to connect 1,000 young people between the ages of 14 and 21 with summer jobs as part of a new program called YouthWorks. Those who work at least 100 hours will also receive a $1,000 bonus, the mayor said.

“We want to make sure kids and families have something positive to do,” Johnston said. “We’re going to prioritize those young people from low-income neighborhoods and from low-income backgrounds where we know the research shows the more and more young people we employ, the fewer and fewer young people get caught up in the criminal justice system.”

Johnston announced the new initiatives at a news conference alongside Denver Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero.

“We all know that it’s a shared responsibility to ensure that our scholars are engaged over the summer,” said Marrero. “Not only does it benefit those recipients — meaning the students, whether they’re engaged in academic learning to prevent learning loss, and in the case of this summer, expanding maybe even their pockets in terms of some earned income — it also benefits the entire community.”

Denver mayor announces new initiatives to prevent youth violence over the summer

Johnston said YouthWorks is a $1,000,000 investment made possible thanks to a grant from the state. He’s invited business owners and managers across the city to participate.

“We invite every employer in the city who might have a need for one additional employee over the summer and wants to train, recruit a young person,” Johnston said. “We need every employer in the city to step up and say, ‘I want to hire a Denver young person.’”

The mayor also announced a new website that will allow young people and their families to find summer activities and programming.

“It is a one-stop-shop for parents and for young people to make sure that their summer is vibrant and full,” Johnston said.

The mayor also announced a new $500,000 grant program to help community organizations provide additional summer activities and programming.

Bishop Jerry Demmer has tracked violence in Denver for many years.

“Unfortunately, I’ve seen so much of it because I actually have been dealing with the gangs,” said Demmer.

With school winding down, he’s worried about options for young people over the summer.

“I think that’s the key word: Option. What options do they have?” said Demmer.

One option he hopes no one takes is getting into trouble with the law.

Colorado Bureau of Investigation crime statistics show more than 50 young people between the ages of 10 and 17 were arrested for violent crimes in Denver last summer and the summer before.

Community members say the initiatives sound good as long as the resources make it to those most in need.

“I think they are great initiatives, but we need to make sure that they’re in our communities,” said Sondra Young, the president of Denver NAACP. “What I did not see today was representation from the Black community and those are always the first children to be caught up in the system.”

Demmer is optimistic about how the initiatives could impact youth.

“One of the things these programs can do for our young people, give them a better choice. And I think that’s very important choice,” said Demmer.

The city is hosting two job fairs as part of the YouthWorks initiative. A virtual job fair will be held on Friday, May 24.

An in-person job fair will be held on Saturday, June 1 at the PPA Event Center, which is located at 2105 Decatur Street.

For more information visit Denvergov.org/YouthSummer.