Seattle Mayor Ed Murray will convene an all-day Youth Opportunity Summit, with a particular focus on improving the lives of Seattle’s young men of color. The summit will take place this Sat, Apr. 11 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Rainier Beach High School – 8815 S. Seward Park Ave. in Seattle.
According to Murray, the summit is intended to better align resources, coordinate across systems and agencies, and lift up the voices of young people impacted by longstanding disparities.
“Seattle must be a city where all our young people feel they have a positive future ahead of them,” said Murray. “Our community is filled with active and enthusiastic organizations who do great work day in and day out. We want the City to be a better partner, and we want to ensure that all of us working to support youth build on the positive efforts of others.”
Seattle’s youth unemployment rate is at an historic high: 13 percent, three times the city average. For young African American residents between the ages of 16 and 24, the unemployment rate is 28 percent.
Murray is working with private employers, as well as coordinating City agencies, on his Youth Employment Initiative to identify opportunities for young people to earn some money over the summer and build skills in the workplace. He has set a goal of 2,000 summer positions for Seattle youth, double the number the City organized in 2014. Youth will have an opportunity to apply for a summer position at Saturday’s Summit.
Workshops at the event will cover Employment and Economic Opportunity, Succeeding in School, Youth Violence Prevention and Criminal Justice, and Advocacy and Personal Empowerment.
