New Haven youth commission outlines symposium on mental health and gun violence; aldermen urge earlier school-based intervention

New Haven 's Youth Services Committee met Nov. 5 to hear updates from city youth commissioners and to discuss a planned research report and a youth symposium on mental health and gun violence.

Oliver Augustine, chair of the Youth Commission, told the committee the commission has focused on establishing durable administrative systems so the body can continue to operate: "getting a Gmail account so that there's a permanent, like, communications. That also comes with a phone number," Augustine said, and the commission is working "towards getting a bank account so we can handle, finances, donations, expenses, etcetera." Augustine asked the committee and aldermen to view the session as a workshop and described efforts to draft bylaws and other documents that would help the commission function long-term.

A member of the commission's research subcommittee said the group is preparing a report on the state of high-school-aged youth and plans to meet outside regular commission meetings to plan outreach and data collection. The subcommittee also described plans for a youth symposium focused on mental health and gun violence, which the speaker said is being spearheaded by commissioners Judge Wilson and Angelina Wilson.

Alderman Frank Redenty offered the committee his support on gun-violence work: "I've worked my entire career around youth violence and gun violence," Redenty said, and he told commissioners he would assist with the symposium as needed.

Committee members and youth commissioners stressed outreach to younger students and collaboration with the school system. One member urged connecting earlier than high school, suggesting the commission should coordinate with school counselors and consider identifying students in elementary grades for early supports rather than waiting until middle or high school. A committee member recommended partnering with CTVIP, an organization that works with at-risk youth and victims of gun violence, and advised the commission present at ward management-team meetings to publicize events and recruit volunteers.

Speakers at the meeting cited local statistics to underscore the urgency of early intervention. One speaker said a recent presentation to the Board of Education reported "76.7% of our kids live in poverty," and added that, in his experience, many young men of color fail to recover academically after freshman year of high school (the speaker summarized this as about "60 percent" failing the first semester). Those figures were offered as context for calls to build an annual trend report so the city can track which interventions succeed over time.

Youth commissioners said they hope the symposium and the research project become annual efforts so the commission can develop a repository of prior work and measure changes year to year. Commissioners described ongoing work on surveys, outreach plans and projects intended to increase youth engagement; they emphasized recruiting students across grade levels and making youth participation accessible.

Chair Kimberly Edwards closed the workshop by thanking the youth commissioners for their work and saying the group would meet again. A motion to adjourn was made, seconded, and the committee voted "Aye" with no opposition recorded. The meeting was adjourned.