JOBS, EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE COMMITTEE

INVESTING IN AMERICA’S YOUTH INVESTING IN AMERICAíS YOUTH

WHEREAS, one of America’s greatest resources of human potential and our next generation of workers is a rapidly growing youth population that includes an increasing number of immigrant youth; and

WHEREAS young people are at risk for difficulties stemming from challenges in our society including violence, drug abuse, crime, unemployment, poverty, homelessness, sexually transmitted diseases, teen pregnancy, difficulty in acquiring academic achievement and literacy proficiencies; and

WHEREAS, among the growing youth population are an increasing number of youth living in poverty and youth who leave high school without a diploma and do not have an effective education base to build on; and

WHEREAS, there are 4.7 million youth ages 16-24 living in inner-city and rural areas with poverty rates of 30 percent or higher and these youth face considerable barriers to succeeding in life; and

WHEREAS, the employment rate for out-of-school youth in high-poverty areas is 46 percent; and

WHEREAS, in many cities the drop-out rate for African-American and Hispanic youth is over 50 percent; and

WHEREAS, the proportion of young African-American high school dropouts who are currently not employed exceeds 70 percent; and

WHEREAS, the pervasive joblessness of minority males contributes fundamentally to various problems of inner cities--poverty, crime, welfare dependency, high proportion of female-headed families, and drug abuse; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. Conference of Mayors has a strong commitment to the improvement of job and educational prospects for disadvantaged youth, and believes that summer employment opportunities are critical to achieving those goals and believe that youth employment is a critical means for learning, building responsibility and achieving personal development and growth; and

WHEREAS, The U. S. Conference of Mayors has a strong commitment to improving the lives of out-of-school youth in high poverty areas and supported the creation and funding of the Youth Opportunity Grants program which was funded in President Clinton’s 1998 budget; and

WHEREAS, youth activities under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), are offered as comprehensive, year-round activities which include a menu of varied services, including summer employment, that may be provided, in combination or alone, at different times during a youth’s development; and

WHEREAS, in its initial budget deliberations for FY 2001, Congress has failed to recognize the needs to invest in America’s youth and in doing so, has failed to provide the increase funding needed and has cut funding for critical programs,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED , that The U.S. Conference of Mayors urges Congress to continue its long term commitment to a strong summer jobs program which is now part of a comprehensive, year-round youth program by enacting appropriations funding to provide summer jobs for at least 500,000 youth, the same number of youth served in summer jobs in 1999; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED , that The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls upon the Congress to resolve that Congress fully fund the President’s FY 2001 budget and increase youth funding in FY 2001; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED , that The U.S. Conference of Mayors urges Congress to help contribute to a solution to pervasive poverty and joblessness of inner-city youth and young adults and ensure that funding for the out-of-school youth initiative exists beyond FY 1999 and through the five year original commitment in the legislation and is expanded to provide greater involvement in the program; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED , that The U.S. Conference of Mayors urges Congress to increase funding to at least $2 billion under WIA for all youth activities, including summer youth employment, so that the workforce development system which is evolving under the universally accessible design of the Workforce Investment Act, is able to serve at least the same number of youth as in 1999 through comprehensive year-round services, and meet the infinite service demand and critical need of providing opportunities for all disadvantaged and at-risk youth.