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Rickenbacker Woods representatives ask council for $200,000 to expand youth workforce program

Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee ยท December 13, 2024

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Summary

Michael Aaron and Doreen Yuas Sauer from the Rickenbacker Woods Foundation asked the committee to fund the COITWE youth workforce initiative with a $200,000 request, saying the 2024 program engaged 35 students and reduced juvenile detention costs in their estimate.

Michael Aaron, executive director of the Rickenbacker Woods Foundation, and board member Doreen Yuas Sauer addressed the committee during the public-comment portion of the hearing and asked the council to invest in a youth workforce program called COITWE.

Aaron said COITWE engaged 35 high-school students in 2024 in a six-month paid-internship model that included community service and career exposure. He argued the program produces safety and fiscal benefits and offered a cost comparison: the daily cost of detaining a youth in the Franklin County juvenile detention center is approximately $300, and keeping those 35 young people out of detention for six months "potentially saved taxpayers an estimated $1,900,000," he said. Aaron requested $200,000 from the city to continue and expand the program in 2025.

Doreen Yuas Sauer, who identified herself as a Rickenbacker Woods board member and chair of the University Area Commission, described the program's educational approach and why an exemplar/scaffold model and intergenerational learning help keep youth engaged. She urged council support for community-based prevention and workforce initiatives and thanked the committee for prior collaboration.

Council did not act on the funding request during the hearing; staff and council members acknowledged the ask and said follow-up materials would be accepted.