FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 2, 2012 CONTACTS: Brice Freeman, MOED, 410-396-1910, bfreeman@oedworks.com Ernest Dorsey, Youth Services, 410-396-6722, edorsey@oedworks.com Thousands of Baltimore Youth are Working as City’s Summer Jobs Program Begins its Second Week YouthWorks’ Successful Hire One Youth campaign adds nearly 300 additional jobs with private employers Baltimore, Maryland (July 2, 2012) – Baltimore City’s 2012 YouthWorks summer jobs program is off and running, with more than 5,300 young people between the ages of 14 and 21 working in a variety of jobs with private sector, nonprofit, and city and state government employers throughout the Baltimore region. As a direct result of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s Hire One Youth campaign to increase the participation of businesses in YouthWorks, the number of young people working this summer is higher than last year. Close to 300 additional youth are employed through Hire One Youth, which challenged Baltimore employers to hire at least one job-ready 16- to 21-year-old to work at their places of business. Greater Baltimore Committee President and CEO Donald Fry is chair of the Mayor’s Hire One Youth Leadership Team, comprised of local business leaders from various industries. In total, more than 100 companies joined the Hire One Youth campaign. They include the Baltimore Sun, Commercial Interiors, the Hyatt Regency Baltimore, Hazen and Sawyer, University of Maryland and Wells Fargo. “Placing our young citizens in valuable summer work experiences requires true teamwork and innovative public-private partnerships,” said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. “I am grateful to the many private employers that joined my Hire One Youth initiative, and to more than 500 partners that serve as worksites. I am confident that not only will these individual organizations benefit from the skills that these young people bring, but our City’s economy will get a boost from having so many young people earning and learning this summer.” In addition, The Johns Hopkins Health System and University is continuing its strong tradition of partnering with the city to provide summer employment for Baltimore City youth by matching 240 young people to meaningful experiences in its medical and academic settings. “This marks the 18th consecutive summer that Johns Hopkins has supported the employment of Baltimore City’s youth,” said Ronald R. Peterson, president of The Johns Hopkins Health System. “We take great pride in providing work placements that are chosen to meet each participant’s interests.” YouthWorks is operated by the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development with the assistance of employers and workforce partners, and with financial support from a variety of contributors. Baltimore City general funds support approximately 1,300 six-week, 25-hour per week positions in addition to the 200 positions paid for by city agencies. Thanks to Governor Martin O’Malley, state funding supports more than 1,000 positions. Additionally, the Maryland State Departmentof Human Resources and the Baltimore City Department of Social Services provide summer jobs funding for close to 900 foster care youth and those receiving public assistance. YouthWorks 2012, which runs through August 3, is part of Baltimore City Super Summer, a partnership between the City, Baltimore City Public Schools and nonprofits to ensure that every child has access to learning, meals, reading and other fun activities during the summer. Visit www.youthbmore.org or call 211 for more information about Baltimore City Super Summer. ### In fiscal year 2011, the Mayor's Office of Employment Development hosted more than 139,000 visits from city residents at our one-stop career centers, facilitated nearly 19,000 computer literacy training sessions at our Digital Learning Labs, and placed close to 2,700 individuals in jobs. We connected more than 5,000 youth to summer employment and assisted more than 500 businesses through our Employ Baltimore strategy. This year we are continuing our commitment to match Baltimore citizens with good jobs and satisfying careers, and to link area businesses to qualified employees. www.oedworks.com.