FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 15, 2011

Contact: Brice Freeman, Communications Kate Schmelyun, Communications 410-396-9928 410-396-7336 or 410-599-8626 bfreeman@oedworks.com kschmelyun@oedworks.com Ernest F. Dorsey, YO! Baltimore 410-396-6722 edorsey@oedworks.com

Urban Youth Corps Cleans Up for Earth Day Youth and young adult participants tackle vacant lot as part of “greening” Baltimore Baltimore, Maryland (April 15, 2011) – In Baltimore City, a program called Urban Youth Corps is part of a statewide and national push to prepare workers for green-collar transportation careers. What makes Urban Youth Corps unique is the fact that it’s tailored to a very specific demographic – minority men and women between the ages of 17 to 25 living in Baltimore’s Sandtown-Winchester community. Urban Youth Corps is operated by the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment Development’s (MOED) Youth Opportunity (YO! Baltimore) program, in partnership with the Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration. “As always, MOED is responding to the needs of the job market by equipping city workers with the skills needed to compete for positions and careers in high growth industries,” said MOED Director Karen Sitnick. “Green jobs are promising in that they offer workers competitive compensation and the potential for advancement, while positively impacting the environment.” Urban Youth Corps participants are enrolled in the program for one year, during which time they help to rehabilitate, reclaim and beautify public spaces, recreational sites, youth and senior centers, public roads and public works facilities. They participate in life skills and job readiness workshops, along with hands-on work experience. Participants also have an opportunity to earn their GED and explore post-secondary education, while having access to on-site mental health and substance abuse support services as needed. Overall, YO! Baltimore, which serves out-of-school teens and young adults citywide, has a proven track record of helping young people increase their wage earnings and educational attainment while reducing recidivism. YO! Baltimore has received national recognition as an effective model program for urban youth. “The Urban Youth Corps program fits into our overall comprehensive youth development model, which focuses on fostering positive relationships with caring adults and peers, and providing services that are proactive and build upon participants’ existing skills and competencies,” explained Ernest Dorsey, MOED’s assistant director for Youth Services.

PHOTO OP: Working with Parks & People Foundation, 21 Urban Youth Corps participants will be holding an Earth Day clean-up in two vacant lots located in the 900 block of Gilmor Street in Sandtown-Winchester on Tue, April 19 beginning at 9 a.m. Reporters/photographers are welcome. In the event of bad weather, the clean-up will be rescheduled for Tuesday, April 26, 2011. ###