In January of 2010, Mayor Bloomberg asked David Banks, President of the Eagle Academy Foundation and Ana Oliveira, President of the New York Women’s Foundation to uncover the barriers that Black and Latino young men encounter, the disparities that exist between them and their peers, and provide recommendations on what the City could do to improve outcomes for these young men. David Banks and Nan Oliveira worked with Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda Gibbs and then-Deputy Mayor for Education and Community Development Dennis Walcott to deliver recommendations to the Mayor.
Over the course of the next 18 months the Mayor’s Office, with the guidance of the Young Men’s Initiative (YMI) chairs, collected data to understand the conditions facing young men, met with City agencies to understand current efforts, consulted with academics, service providers, non profits, foundations and experts in weekly briefings, traveled to visit promising models in education, youth development, employment and the justice systems and also spoke with young men themselves. Based on this review, four areas emerged that merited the City’s focus. These four areas – education, health, employment, and justice- are where the disparities are greatest and the consequences most harmful.
In August 2011 David Banks and Ana Oliveira issued their report to the Mayor. A link to the complete report can be found here (in PDF).
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YMI Chairs
Report from the Chairs
YMI Partner Agencies
