GOVERNOR O’MALLEY VISITS YOUTHWORKS SUMMER JOBS PROGRAM

Joins Baltimore City Mayor Rawlings-Blake and City Council President Young at the Academy for College and Career Exploration

BALTIMORE, MD (July 19, 2011) –Governor O’Malley today, joined by Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young, visited with the YouthWorks summer jobs program at the Academy for College and Career Exploration (ACCE), a Baltimore City public middle/high school and one of over 400 YouthWorks sites across the City.

At the ACCE school site, the Governor, Mayor and City Council President gathered with 12 YouthWorks participants who are learning about horticulture to help “green” and beautify the school grounds. Then-Mayor O’Malley was instrumental in the creation of ACCE as an “innovation” school to provide students with opportunities to gain college and career experience. Now, as Governor, he continues a strong commitment to expanding career and technology education (CTE) as well as science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.

“Even during challenging economic times, together with our local partners, we continue to provide our youth with job opportunities that will strengthen their skills and have an impact on our future workforce,” said Governor O’Malley. “I am pleased to be able to come back to ACCE to visit the YouthWorks program and help our young adults develop valuable, employable skills that will last a lifetime.”

YouthWorks, operated by the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, places young people between the ages of 14 and 21 in summer jobs with private sector, nonprofit, and city and state government employers throughout the City. In April, Governor O’Malley introduced the Administration’s FY12 supplemental budget, including an unprecedented $1.13 million to fund more than 900 summer jobs for youth in Baltimore City, and $370,000 for the Conservation Jobs Corps, which provides conservation service opportunities for youth in Maryland State Parks.

In addition to the supplemental budget, Mayor Rawlings-Blake and the Baltimore City Council provided over $1.6 million in financial support for summer jobs through the YouthWorks program. Together, with state and local efforts – including an annual $1 million from the Maryland State Department of Human Resources and the Baltimore City Department of Social Services, and more than $350,000 from private, corporate and foundation contributions – over 5,300 Baltimore City youth were offered summer jobs for this year’s program.

“We in Baltimore City have worked hard for many years building a coalition of support for YouthWorks from government, business, foundations, and community leaders that allow us to offer thousands of jobs to young people each summer,” said Mayor Rawlings-Blake. “This year, Governor O’Malley and the State of Maryland have been especially supportive by providing funding that helps to make up for the lack of federal dollars allocated for summer jobs. On behalf of our City’s youth and families, employers, and communities, I extend my deepest gratitude to our Governor.”

“Maintaining funding for YouthWorks this summer was a critical collaborative effort by Governor O’Malley, Mayor Rawlings-Blake and the Baltimore City Council,” said City Council President Young. “The three YouthWorks participants currently working in my office are shining examples of professionalism and potential. The city feels the impact of these bright young minds over the summer, but more importantly, the experience from this program will help all the youth participating for years to come. YouthWorks represents a wonderful partnership between government, businesses, organizations and the community that truly benefits Baltimore’s youth.”

The YouthWorks participants at the ACCE site are helping to launch the school’s greening project, intended to be a year-round effort to promote a more sustainable environment at the school's campus, beautify the school’s grounds, and benefit the Hampden community as a whole.

“The YouthWorks participants have been busy planting, gardening, learning about soil, and becoming familiar with the basics of horticulture,” said Jean Mellott, the ACCE YouthWorks site supervisor and a graduate of the Master of Landscape Architecture Program at Morgan State University. “In the past three weeks we have planted a vegetable garden, added plants and houses to attract birds and butterflies, and identified and removed invasive plant species and replaced them with native plants. In the back of the school, we are also adding a large rain garden to handle roof run-off and keep it from sending pollutants into the Jones Falls and the Chesapeake Bay. With all this work, we hope to start the process to have the school grounds certified as a wildlife habitat by the end of the summer.”

ACCE is partnering with local businesses and organizations to enhance the greening project. Lowe's of Towson, Greenfields Nursery, Sylva Native Nurseries, Stumpeaters, Baltimore City Department of Transportation, Employ the Rain, the Guilford Garden Club, and the Baltimore City School System have all offered discounts or donations of plants and other materials for the YouthWorks projects this summer, and a $5,000 grant from the Baltimore City Foundation was used to purchase plants and supplies. In addition, Blue Water Baltimore will be hosting a Pavement to Prairie Party at the school July 25, where volunteers will remove three-fourths of an acre of unused parking lot and transform the area into a vibrant, engaging outdoor classroom and community green space.  

YouthWorks 2011 will conclude on August 5, 2011. For more information, visit www.oedworks.com.