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Seaside Youth Resource Center reports steady decline in referrals, expands employment and after‑school programs
Summary
The city’s Youth Resource Center told council it has served more than 500 youth since opening, supports an employment program of roughly 35–40 students, and continues efforts to reduce youth violence through school and community partnerships.
The Seaside Youth Resource Center provided the City Council an update Thursday on after‑school programming, youth employment and local anti‑violence work, saying the center has served hundreds of children and continues to partner with schools and community organizations to reduce youth involvement in crime.
Ted Black, youth-center supervisor, told the council the program launched in 2015 with a grant and expanded to city-owned space in 2016. Black said the center’s mix of mentorship, employment opportunities and on-campus interventions has helped the city reduce referrals for violence since the program’s peak in 2018 and 2023.
“Since the doors have opened, we have not experienced a youth homicide in our city,” Black said, noting the statistic while cautioning that youth violence has not disappeared and the center still responds to incidents including recent instances where firearms appeared on or near campuses.
Councilmembers asked detailed questions about the center’s caseload, employment program and school partnerships. Black said the center employs about 35–40 youth during large events and that the youth employment program requires participants to remain engaged in school; youth who are failing academically are not permitted to work until they meet education requirements. The center also runs mentoring, STEM activities, field trips, music and arts programs.
Councilmembers praised the center and asked staff to continue reporting referral trends. The mayor and council thanked the center’s volunteers and local partners for their “boots-on-the-ground” work and urged ongoing investment in prevention-focused programming.
No council action was required; the item was a presentation and information update.
