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Rochester, NY—Malik Evans, Democratic Candidate for Mayor of Rochester, unveiled today a slate of policies aimed at revamping Youth Development in our city. Youth Development is a key component of Evans’ Compact with the Community. These policies would give the youth of Rochester more structure and economic opportunity while preparing them for success in life. Funded by public-private partnership and the funding available from the American Rescue Plan, these policies would help our kids and stimulate the local economy.

Youth2Work

The first policy plank calls for the creation of a youth employment plan that would dramatically expand early career opportunities and skills training to Rochester youth. Using the federal stimulus money, this program would triple the funding available to the city’s youth employment services division to $3 million and guarantee a job to any teenager who wants one. Teens would also be provided with training on workplace skills and expectations, business and management concepts, and personal finance.

“An investment in our youth is an investment in our future,” said Evans. “My own job at Genesee Valley Park as a teenager provided me with skills that prepared me for life. RochesterWorks, a terrific organization that helps hundreds of kids each year, had almost 2,000 applicants for only 332 spots in the 2020 Summer Youth Employment Program. If we guaranteed a job to every applicant, we could teach thousands of children the skills to be successful in life while putting money in their pockets and helping Rochester’s small businesses. I will work to build a broad-based coalition of government, business, philanthropy, and education to get the resources we need to make Youth2Work successful.”

Teen Court

The second policy plank involves expanding and providing needed resources to Rochester Teen Court. Teen Court is a program where the District Attorney’s office defers prosecution and diverts low-level offenses to a court system where teen peers act as attorneys and jurors. “I had the privilege of serving as one of the first youth attorneys when I was in high school,” said Evans. 

One of Rochester’s most successful intervention services, Teen Court allows young people with low level misdemeanors to atone for their crimes while keeping their record clean. Private philanthropy has been supporting Teen Court in recent years. My administration will work with those organizations to ensure that as many appropriate cases as possible are referred to this valuable, restorative program, and provide additional resources so that teens’ first offense will be their last. We will also expand support for peer mediation training so that more youth are prepared to peacefully resolve conflicts that have plagued our community.

About Malik:

Malik Evans was born and raised in the City of Rochester and graduated from Wilson Magnet High School before earning a B.S. from the University of Rochester and an M.S. from Nazareth College. Malik has always worked to help provide quality services, greater opportunities, and vital support to those in need. 

This dedication to public service helped Malik become the youngest ever Rochester School Board Commissioner and an at-large member of City Council, where he has worked to find solutions to our most pressing challenges by focusing on common ground. Malik also has a rich background in the private sector, currently serving as the Financial Wellness Manager for ESL. Malik will use these varied experiences and his desire for progress and devotion to public service, as he works to earn the voters’ support to serve as the next Mayor of Rochester. You can learn more about Malik by visiting his website, and by following him on Facebook and Twitter. 

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