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Speakers urge more youth trauma supports, jobs and mentorship; council members pledge follow-up
Summary
Rodney Toomer, a program director and Strickland Youth Center detention officer, urged the council to expand mental-health, after-school and job programs for youth to address trauma and reduce violence.
Rodney Toomer, program director for Opportunities for Entertainers and a detention officer at Strickland Youth Center, told the Mobile City Council that many young people in the city carry unaddressed trauma and need concrete supports: more counselors in schools, safe after-school spaces, summer job opportunities, mentorship and events that build relationships between youth and police.
Toomer, who said he hears the stories of young people daily at Strickland, described trauma, lack of work and limited positive role models as drivers of violence. He urged the city to partner…
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