FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 31, 2013

FOR NEWS/PHOTO ASSIGNMENT: Wed., February 20, 2013, 9-11 a.m.

CONTACTS: Donnice Brown, 410-396-6727, dbrown@oedworks.com Kate Schmelyun, 410-396-6722, kschmelyun@oedworks.com

Baltimore Workforce Investment Board Youth Council Announces Series of Workshops Focused on Local Youth Employment The series will kick off with a panel discussion Feb. 20 Baltimore, Maryland (January 31, 2013) – The Baltimore Workforce Investment Board Youth Council today announced that it will host a series of workshops for youth development organizations focused on finding solutions to improve the employment outlook for young people in Baltimore City. The series will kick off with a panel discussion about youth employment nationally and locally, featuring Mala Thakur (executive director, National Youth Employment Coalition), Ana Hageage (director, Workforce Investment Latin America Youth Center), and Karen Sitnick (director, Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment Development): Wednesday, February 20, 2013 9-11 a.m., with continental breakfast beginning at 8:30 a.m. The Annie E. Casey Foundation 701 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 The panel discussion is open to anyone with an interest in improving employment outcomes for disconnected youth in Baltimore. Those who would like to attend the February 20 event are asked to register by contacting Ms. Maria Segal at 410-396-6727 or BWIBYC@oedworks.com by Wednesday, February 13. Space is limited. The kickoff will be followed by a series of six focused discussions in the next few months centered on specific youth employment topics tailored for direct service providers. Details, dates and guest speakers will be announced at the kickoff, but topics are to include workforce development basics, effective program design, motivating and engaging those youth who are the most difficult to serve, understanding employers as customers, and leveraging labor market information. The two primary goals of the series are to form a “community of practice” that brings together youth development professionals to share knowledge and engage in learning activities to enhance their professional practice, and to improve employment placement and retention among Baltimore City youth receiving workforce development services. 

“The bottom line – locally and nationally – is that young people need jobs, and our high-growth industries need skilled, educated workers,” said Donnice Brown, youth services administrator for the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development. “We want to bring together local organizations that serve youth in our region so that we can make connections, share ideas and solutions and, ultimately, engage a higher number of our young city residents in meaningful work in growing industries.” In its recently released Kids Count Policy Report, the Annie E. Casey Foundation details the significant barriers to youth employment across the U.S., which, as the report notes, is currently at its lowest level since World War II, with only about half of young people ages 16-24 holding jobs in 2011. The report suggests that the solution to this daunting challenge lies in “business, government, philanthropy and communities coming together to create opportunities to put young people back in track in a dynamic, advancing economy to ensure their success and to build a stronger workforce for the future.” The panel discussion and workshop series are supported by the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, Baltimore Workforce Investment Board Youth Council, and multiple workforce partners. Through action and influence, the Mayoral-appointed Baltimore Workforce Investment Board creates a public workforce engine driving Baltimore City toward sustained prosperity. The function of the BWIB Youth Council is youth strategic planning and system building; youth policy development and advocacy; program planning and development; resource mapping; youth opportunity implementation; and collaboration with Baltimore City Public Schools to promote and develop school-to-career linkages. ###