Youth Opportunity
Rising juvenile crime rates stem from lack of legitimate pathways to success, forcing families to watch their children leave the district or turn to dangerous alternatives.
Tiff will expand her proven workforce development model with year-round paid internships, community-based violence prevention, and trauma-informed programming that creates local opportunities for young people to thrive.
The Cause
The Effect
Young people need stability inside the classroom and at home, while young adults need support as they step into careers, relationships, housing, and wellness. But too often, funding and attention go toward intervention after youth have gone down the wrong path, instead of prevention that meets them where they are.
Culturally competent programs exist but remain underfunded. Teachers and parents work in silos, each stretched thin by stress at home and broken classroom conditions. Juvenile justice programs are over capacity, and safe spaces are limited or one-size-fits-all.
This breakdown leaves too many youth unsupported during their most critical years.
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Community-based youth programs with real impact are underfunded and unable to scale.
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Older teens and young adults fall through the cracks, left without safe, engaging spaces or workforce preparation needed in this competitive landscape.
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Families struggle to support students because household challenges compete with educational needs.
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State-led juvenile justice systems become overwhelmed, weakening accountability and outcomes.
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A “uniform” approach to youth engagement fails because today’s young people are uniquely diverse.
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Emerging adults are unprepared to step into financial independence, career stability, or civic responsibility.
Tiff's Solution
Healthier School & Family Environments
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Prioritize school environments that nurture both the student and the family, from community school models to trauma-informed classrooms where teachers can focus on teaching.
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Ensure funding for Maryland’s Community Schools Initiative (Blueprint for Maryland’s Future), which supports wraparound services like mental health, family support, and extended learning in high-need schools.
Resources for Community-Led Youth Programs
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Invest in grassroots, culturally competent youth organizations that already resonate with young people, and build public-private collaborations to create diverse safe spaces.
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Expand access to the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services Youth Program Grants and City School’s Extended Learning Services, which fund community-based initiatives, and push for fairer distribution so smaller organizations, not just traditional gatekeepers, can scale their work.
Pathways for Older Teens & Young Adults
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Create multiple pathways for older teens and emerging adults to build sustainable futures through career development, mental health care, financial literacy, and wellness supports.
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Fund year-round Youthworks programs to build pipelines with small and large employers and create targeted opportunities for young adults with barriers to employment. Support state-backed Apprenticeship Maryland Program expansion into more industries relevant to Baltimore’s economy
