Baltimore council hearing spotlights summer youth funding gap as city outlines 2025 plan

A joint hearing of the Baltimore City Council’s Education, Youth and Older Adults Committee and Public Safety Committee convened at Edmondson Westside High School to review the city’s summer youth engagement strategy and identify remaining funding and access gaps for summer 2025.

Councilman John Bullock (Education, Youth and Older Adults Committee) and Councilman Mark Conway (Public Safety Committee) led the May hearing, which brought agency leaders, nonprofit providers, school officials and dozens of residents and youth to the school in the Eighth District to testify about summer jobs, programs and safety plans.

The heart of the hearing was a mix of status reports and appeals: city officials described coordinated events, employment slots and outreach plans while nonprofit leaders and parents asked the council for additional funding and help removing practical barriers such as transportation and documentation.

Why this matters: summer programming combines employment, enrichment and supervision for thousands of Baltimore youth and is tied by city leaders to both educational outcomes and public safety. Multiple presenters said federal and pandemic-era funding streams that previously supported programs are ending, requiring the city and philanthropic partners to make up the difference.

Most significant numbers and commitments: officials said the mayor’s YouthWorks employment program will offer 8,500 paid positions in 2025, down from about 9,313 youth employed in…