Cleveland mayor unveils municipal cabinet to boost youth well-being and community support

An optimistic energy filled the Cleveland City Hall rotunda on a rainy Thursday afternoon as community leaders, educators and youth advocates witnessed Mayor Justin M. Bibb and his administration introduce the Municipal Cabinet for Children and Youth. Bibb’s executive order enacting the cabinet promises a united effort, ensuring the city’s youth can grow up possessing the skills and tools to be future leaders.

Hours prior to the March 20 event, President Donald Trump signed an executive order permitting federal officials to shut down the Department of Education, a move cutting billions of dollars from Title 1 schools, financial aid for colleges and universities, breakfast and lunch programs and resources for students with disabilities. However, United States Congress has to approve the order. Enthusiastic supporters of Cleveland’s cabinet acknowledged the dire state of education and decades of disinvestment of resources for youth development, calling it a “state of emergency.”  

City leaders shared reflections of their childhoods in cohesive communities and out-of-school programs promoting values and character. Bibb honored his mother and grandmother’s hard work and sacrifices to keep him busy in libraries, organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs and his church choir. 

“We are making a commitment that every single department at City Hall be focused on how do we improve the conditions of children in our city,” Bibb said. “Every single year of this administration will now be focused on improving the outcomes of young people, and we went far and wide to look for experts and best practices across the country to give us the blueprint to do this work.”

Developed in August 2024, the cabinet is a strategic and community-driven group dedicated to improving the material conditions of children and young people from birth to age 24. According to a press release, the mission is to harness data, resources and a unified City Hall to enhance youth well-being and better connect families with providers who serve them. 

Bibb’s administration looked at successful community youth programs nationwide, such as Harlem Children’s Zone, founded by Geoff Canada, a mentor of Bibb with 50 years of youth development experience. Established in 1970, Harlem Children’s Zone “breaks the cycle of intergenerational poverty with comprehensive, on-the-ground programming that builds opportunities for children and families to thrive in school, work, and life,” according to the agency’s LinkedIn profile. Its website says youth development and family support organization has grown to serve 34,590 youths and adults annually, reaches 12,000 participants in the Healthy Harlem initiative and boasts a 97 percent college acceptance rate. The Harlem Children’s Zone’s model is replicated by more than 550 partners across the United States.

“The truth of the matter is, our children need us from the moment they are born, they need real support, targeted support and we have to hold the adults accountable,” Canada said. “We’re committed to Mayor Bibb and will do anything humanly possible to try and help make this a success, so hopefully you’ll see me and my team in Cleveland more than just today.”

The Municipal Cabinet will serve as a hub for collaboration among city departments, community organizations and stakeholders, ensuring a comprehensive approach to addressing the needs of young people in Cleveland. 

Cleveland City Councilwoman Stephanie D. Howse-Jones shared a story of her nuclear family’s dissolution and wrinkles of adolescence smoothed out by a support system and college courses available in her high school. “My story shouldn’t be unique; with our cross-sector partnerships, that should be the reality no matter if you have the traditional family or (if) life happens to you,” Howse-Jones told the crowd, several nodding their heads in agreement. “Every young person in the city deserves the opportunity, when you get off track or if you’re on track, that you have a city that is cheering you on.”

By aligning efforts, the city aims to develop innovative programs that engage and uplift youth across the community and enhance impactful work already happening across the city. Bibb’s executive order emphasizes the importance of breaking down silos and aligning efforts across various sectors to create a more coordinated and effective support system. 

“Right now, we have several different things in place like the Mayor’s Junior Association where young people are coming together on a monthly basis learning about public policy, learning about the decisions being made at City Hall and providing their input,” said Sonya Pryor-Jones, chief of Youth & Family Success. “There are also opportunities through our summer jobs program, one of our academy programs we built specifically in partnership with Y.O.U (Youth Opportunities Unlimited), a marketing academy program about young people telling us how we do a better job marketing programming for them, to them.”

Input by the youth advisory body will guide city departments working to improve social determinants of health (i.e. education, public safety, environment, access to healthcare and housing and social networks). The executive order states a fund will be developed to support those efforts. 

“I believe that today’s action can really begin to address the issues that impact the youth in our city and move to make effective changes that go well into our future,” Ya’Mari Neuhoff, 10th grade student at Garrett Morgan School of Engineering and Innovation told the audience. “I believe that when this group begins to see themselves as members of the community, not as products from the community, it is my hope that as long as this order stands, that it will be a model for other communities to follow, thus creating a society where everyone can thrive.”

To learn more and get involved, contact Samantha R. Holmes at sholmes2@clevelandohio.gov.