The Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development is pleased to announce its sponsorship of an upcoming community event that will address the issue of high school dropouts among Denver youth and explore effective dropout prevention strategies. The event is open to the public and will be held on Saturday, November 15th from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. at the Tivoli Student Union Building, Room 320, on the Auraria Campus in downtown Denver.

The forum will feature a series of speakers addressing dropout related issues and will include a panel discussion comprised of Denver youth and community leaders. Scheduled speakers include; Michael Asbury, former Denver gang member; Pastor Robert Martin, Zion Pentecostal Temple Pastor; and Helena Bello Inko-Taria and Lataye Inko-Taria, Denver youth poets. Emily Griffith Opportunity School, Threadz Community Clothing Center, PS1/The SPOT, Urban Peak, LifeSkills School, Skyland Community School, Job Corps, and others also will provide information tables at the event. Food and beverages will be provided and door prizes (CD player, radio and daytimers) will be given away to youth attending the event.

The goal of the Youth Dropout Prevention Initiative is to help educate Denver youth and families of the services available for dropouts or youth at-risk of dropping out while seeking to generate effective dropout prevention strategies with members of the community. The event is being hosted by Alpha Delta Omega (ADO), the Human Services Honor Society of Metro State College of Denver. The Denver Youth Opportunity (YO!) Program of the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development is sponsoring the event.

For more information on this inaugural city-wide initiative, please contact Dana Williams at 303-919-4576 or Lara Hendrix at 303-919-3652 with the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development.