Stabenow To Keynote Youth Employment Summit
Creating more job opportunities for young people in Detroit will be the topic of conversation at the second annual Youth Employment Summit on Tuesday, March 22, from 9 a.m. to noon at DTE Energy headquarters, 1 Energy Drive, Detroit.
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow will deliver the keynote address, "Growing Young Talent for the World of Work" at the event, which is sponsored by City Connect Detroit, DTE Energy, Bank of America, New Economy Initiative, the Detroit Youth Employment Consortium, The Skillman Foundation, and the Detroit Workforce Development Board.
The summit, "Homegrown Talent: Envisioning Detroit's Future Workforce -- Are We Ready?" brings together leaders from private and nonprofit sectors, foundations, government and education to strategize on increasing youth employment. The discussion will focus on preparing young people for the workforce and encouraging employers to hire more youth.
DTE says it will make an announcement about youth employment at the event.
"We have seen some exciting developments in the area of youth employment over the past few years," said City Connect Detroit Interim President & CEO Dierk L. Hall. "In 2009, we used federal stimulus funds to create public and private partnerships that resulted in summer jobs for more than 7,000 teenagers and young adults. This year's summit will build upon that momentum by bringing together all of the parties who can make a difference in getting young people hired."
In addition to Sen. Stabenow's address, the Youth Employment Summit will feature a panel discussion moderated by Geneva J. Williams, City Connect Detroit's past president and CEO and a current consultant for the agency. Panelists include Lena Barkley, CVS Corporation; Amy Cell, Michigan Economic Development Corp.; Susan Curman, Brandeis University; Lou Glazer, Michigan Future, Inc.; Janet Howard, Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth; Lisa Jones-Harris, Henry Ford Community College; Kenneth L. Lewis, Plunkett Cooney; Johnathon Matthews, Cody Leadership Academy; and Sam Singh, New Economy Initiative.
"Young people need work experiences to help them develop social skills, work ethics and team work," said Dr. Geneva J. Williams. "Unfortunately, youth employment opportunities have been negatively impacted by the economic downturn and a shift in government funding. The summit is the first step toward finding solutions. Next month, the Detroit Youth Employment Consortium will kick off the fund-raising portion of this strategic campaign."
City Connect Detroit is a member of the Detroit Youth Employment Consortium, a private-public partnership created by The Skillman Foundation to expand summer and year-round employment opportunities for Detroit youth ages 14 to 18. Last year, City Connect Detroit launched a community campaign, "Grow Detroit's Young Talent Program," with support from The Skillman Foundation. The campaign raised more than $1 million to provide work experiences for 600 teens and young adults.
