Detroit is at a crossroads.
As the city prepares to elect its next mayor, much of the political conversation revolves around affordable housing, job creation, and economic development. Important? Absolutely. But if Detroit is genuinely going to rise—not just in buildings, but in spirit—it must begin with its children and youth.
This blog is a direct message to every candidate running for mayor in 2025:
We expect a bold, comprehensive youth development strategy to be a prominent part of your platform.
For far too long, young people in Detroit have been treated as the “future” when, in reality, they are the now. Too many urban policies are adult-centered, leaving children and teens to navigate broken schools, unsafe neighborhoods, and a digital world with little guidance and fewer opportunities.
Jobs Matter—But Our Youth Need More Than Employment. They Need Empowerment.
We acknowledge and appreciate the work of the former Youth Development Commission and the Skillman Foundation, whose early investments in youth employment were ultimately expanded under Mayor Duggan. That foundation matters.
But our young people need more than jobs—they need joy.
Empowerment means reducing childhood poverty and food insecurity, improving access to safe recreational spaces, investing in robust, year-round youth employment and entrepreneurship programs, and funding arts, sports, and cultural experiences in every neighborhood—not just downtown.
Reimagine Public Safety—Start With Public Healing
Perhaps it’s time to rename the Detroit Police Department to the Detroit Public Safety Department, with a central mission of protecting and healing our communities—starting with children and youth.
Let’s be honest: The word “police” is not neutral. For many Black children, it is traumatic—intertwined with a long history of systemic harm. As noted in The New Yorker, the roots of modern policing in the South trace back to slave patrols: organized forces designed to capture and control enslaved people. That legacy matters. It shapes how our youth see law enforcement today.
The new Public Safety Department must include:
- Comprehensive trauma counseling
- Violence intervention and prevention
- Restorative justice programs
- Community-based mentoring
- Let’s stop saying just “public safety.” Say public healing.
Urban Youth Deserve Policy, Not Pity
Detroit’s children are not problems to manage—they’re people to invest in.
They deserve a mayor who will:
- Build a Detroit Children’s and Youth Cabinet that includes actual young people and grassroots leaders
- Establish a Citywide Youth Development Fund to support the real work being done in the neighborhoods
The next mayor must be bold enough to declare:
🗣 “We will not rebuild Detroit on the backs of abandoned youth.”
What We Need: A Real Urban Youth Strategy
Detroit doesn’t need more seasonal after-school programs or summer job fairs. We need a strategy—rooted in equity, creativity, and long-term investment. Here’s where to start:
1. Create a Department of Youth Wellbeing and Leadership
Not just a youth liaison or a few programs under Parks & Rec. We need a cabinet-level department solely focused on the mental health, education, safety, and leadership development of young people—especially in historically under-resourced neighborhoods.
2. Fund Neighborhood-Based Youth Hubs
Reimagine vacant buildings and underused city properties. Let’s turn them into youth centers equipped with mentorship programs, digital media labs, tutoring spaces, and safe recreation zones.
Think libraries-meet-startup-labs-meet-counseling-havens.
3. Prioritize Early Childhood Development
Affordable childcare and quality early education should not be luxuries. The next mayor must champion:
- Early learning centers across every district
- Trauma-informed training for everyone who works with children—from bus drivers to daycare providers
4. Invest in a Youth-Led Civic Agenda
Listen to our young people. Build a citywide Youth Council with real decision-making power—one that works alongside city departments and Detroit Public Schools to shape budgets, policies, and community design.
Nothing about them without them.
I’m reminded of the words in my sacred text, Matthew 6:21:
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The city’s budget is a moral document. Show us where your heart is.
Detroit Can’t Wait.
If we don’t center kids in Detroit’s transformation, we will repeat the same cycles:
Development for the few. Displacement for the many. Disillusionment for the next generation.
Detroit’s children are not collateral damage—they are co-builders of our city’s future.
Let’s build a Detroit where kids don’t just survive—they thrive. Just some thoughts from who a brother who has devoted his life to Urban Youth Development, I’m Just Saying… What say you?
I'm Just Saying 