Maryland outlines Young Men and Boys Initiative; American Institutes for Research pledges $6 million

Vincent Harrington, director of Maryland’s Young Men and Boys Initiative for partnerships and engagement, presented the program to the Charles County delegation on Feb. 20 and outlined a five‑year strategic plan focused on mental and physical health, family and community engagement, and economic preparedness.

Harrington said the initiative will target people from birth through age 34 and will begin with a multi‑jurisdiction rollout designed to be expanded statewide. "This is a 5 year strategic plan," he said, and added the effort will seek measurable milestones and community‑level mapping to track progress.

The state office has not asked the General Assembly for operating funding for the initiative, Harrington said, and will seek philanthropic and corporate partners to scale services. He said the American Institutes for Research has pledged $6,000,000 to support research, convening and community practice work tied to the initiative.

Harrington described the program’s priorities this way: "Our 3 pillars of focus is, mental and physical health, engaged in their families and local communities, and prepared to compete in a dynamic economy." He singled out mental‑health concerns, saying, "we've seen, unfortunately, just the number of self harm... for our young men and boys 4 times the rate of our girls," and that boys report suicidal ideation roughly half as often, a pattern he said underlines the need for outreach and support.

Harrington also described downstream work the initiative will pursue, including fiscal‑wellness supports, targeted services for LGBTQA+ youth, and programs to support people reentering the community after incarceration. He said advisory counsel — including a fellow named Patrick Burke — is helping shape a framework and that early implementation will be piloted under a three‑year memorandum of understanding in four territories: Prince George's County, Montgomery County, Baltimore City and the Eastern Shore.

Planned public events include a March program with the first lady and partners such as the Child Mind Institute focused on mental health and technology, and a capstone summit for young men and boys in October. Harrington described a year‑round engagement model and said his office will coordinate outreach with state agencies, the governor’s office and community partners.

On next steps, Harrington said staff will follow up with delegation members and local partners. "There's definitely partnership necessary within everybody on this call," he said, and asked districts to compile lists of local mentor organizations and service providers that could be incorporated into the initiative’s outreach.

The presentation concluded with delegation members offering to help identify local organizations and express interest in participating once program details and launch plans are finalized.