A Multifaceted Solution to Violence:
$8 Million Additional City Funding for Youth

With the epidemic of violence in Boston, young people are hurt, angry and frustrated. We are advocating for a youth voice in decisions and more youth opportunities — in order to save lives this year.

For three years, United Youth and Youth Workers of Boston has advocated for restoring City funding for youth opportunities. With violence remaining at 10 year highs, youth and youth workers are calling for a solution to violence that emphasizes young people's long-term development, not short-term reactions to violence. This solution includes:

• $4.5 million for year-round and summer jobs, including jobs for 14- and 18-year olds and youth with CORIs;
• $2 million for grants for youth organizations, administered by a community board including youth and youth workers;
• $1.5 million for streetworkers, to increase the number to 50 (about 3 per community) and their starting salary to $35,000.

At a May 24 budget hearing on youth jobs, we spoke for those who have died. We don’t want to do so again — we don’t want anyone else to die from street violence. We don’t want to constantly wonder, “Who’s next?” The situation is urgent and we want the violence to stop. The time to act is now.

Additional Reading and Links

• One-pager detailing the $8 million ask from the City
• An analysis of Mayor Menino's proposed budget
  
• Year round and summer jobs statistics
  
• Photo Gallery - May 24, 2007 March at City Hall
• Video - May 24, 2007 Boston Youth Fund testimony (drag timer to start at 51 minutes)
  
• Op-Eds - South End News and Dorchester Reporter (Page 20)
  
• Boston Globe Editorial (May 4, 2007): "Walking the talk of gang peace"
• Long-term priorities for youth and youth workers (April 2004)

Long-Term Priorities

After our first forum in October 2004, youth and youth workers identified four citywide priorities:

• Youth jobs
• Living wages for youth workers
• Stable, long-term funding for youth programs
• Youth leadership

Please read about why these priorities are important for us! You can learn more about these priorities by downloading the following files. (We recommend that you download the Acrobat PDF files, because the Microsoft Word (DOC) files may not display correctly if you do not have the correct fonts installed. If you have trouble viewing the PDF file, download Acrobat Reader.)

• Four Citywide Priorities for youth and youth workers. In PDF or JPEG format.

• Budget Cuts in Youth Jobs and Funding. View statistics of how funding and job opportunities for youth have been slashed since 2001.