CCC Statement: Mayor Bloomberg’s November Plan proposes significant reductions to the City’s Youth Service programs

Released November 18, 2011

Mayor Bloomberg’s November Plan, released today, proposes significant reductions to the City’s Youth Service programs. It is widely recognized, including in the Mayor’s recently launched Young Men’s Initiative, that positive engagement of youth in their schools and communities is critical to their successful development and their ability to stick with and graduate high school and become college and career ready. And yet, the November Plan proposes to cut 3,000 after school slots, eliminate 7 Beacon programs, reduce funding to all 66 city?funded Beacons this year, and cut by 7 percent 25 NYCHA community center programs.

The November Plan disproportionately impacts New York City’s youth at a time when 30 percent of the City’s children and youth are living in poverty and teen unemployment is more than three times higher than adult unemployment. We fear these cuts will not only negatively impact youth through a dramatic loss of services, but will produce costly outcomes of increased crime, school disruption, and detention and incarceration.

The future of New York City demands that today’s young people be given the opportunities to succeed. CCC urges the Mayor to reconsider reductions to youth service programs.

Citizens’ Committee for Children is an independent multi?issue child advocacy organization whose mission is to ensure every New York City Child is healthy, housed, educated and safe.