Mayor Bibb and Cuyahoga County Executive Ronayne Discuss Youth Workforce Development

Oct. 7, 2024 | By Dani Young

Last week, Y.O.U. held the Pathways to Progress event highlighting the significance of youth workforce development. Mayor Justin Bibb and Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne joined Youth Opportunities Unlimited President and CEO Craig Dorn for an important discussion on the future of youth in the local workforce.

Attendees — including Y.O.U. board and senior staff members — enjoyed an evening of networking before hearing the city and county perspectives. Since its founding in 1982, Youth Opportunities Unlimited has enjoyed a long history of collaboration and partnership with the city and county. The county and city of Cleveland provide millions of dollars every year to Y.O.U., demonstrating their commitment to Northeast Ohio’s youth. To fully meet the growing demand for our programs and to support every youth, additional investments from the community and private sector are also needed.

“We have tremendous needs in our city and in our region in terms of upskilling young people and making sure they're prepared for the jobs of the future,” Bibb said. “That's why Y.O.U. is so important. Especially in the summer months, being able to support this organization, to keep young people off the street, expose them to the jobs of the future, give them skills, give them confidence to know that they can succeed.”

Bibb and Ronayne both discussed the positive benefits of youth employment programs and how collaboration with organizations can lead to greater scale and impact.

“The mayor and I have a kinship about what we're doing, and it comes from the heart. But it doesn't happen without the public, private, nonprofit partnership,” Ronayne said. “We spend millions of dollars each year funding thousands of summer jobs, but we need our corporate partners and employers, big and small, to give youth the time and the job opportunities they need to succeed.”

Thank you to Mayor Bibb and County Executive Ronayne for attending as well as Y.O.U. board members and emeritus board members. Together, we will continue to empower youth in the workforce.