Who We Are

The Public Safety Youth Leadership Team (SCYLT) was established by youth to give other youth from a diverse social, economic and achievement backgrounds the opportunity to exchange ideas on anti-crime/violence issues to effect policy changes with local and national leaders. The program combines youth employment, peer-centered pro-social activities and civic engagement learning projects that encourage innovation together with developing the individual’s self-esteem, leadership, and civic skills by engaging young people in actions to positively affect the circumstances in their lives. The Team are paid youth workers who work year-round and is comprised of 15 youth, ages 14-20 years, employed by DPSYP.

Purpose:

The Safe City Youth Leadership Team (SCYLT) provides the youth voice/input needed to assist SCYLT in developing, prioritizing resources, targeting areas, and implementing strategies to achieve the agency’s goal of reducing youth crime and violence. SCYLT looks critically at their communities, identifies problems and the resources to help solve those problems. They learn from other youth’s experiences and insights.

Community Impact:

The SCYLT takes pride in volunteering in their community and works together to set goals, plan, and reflect on the execution of the process of any projects they participate in throughout the year. Since 2006, The SCYLT has participated in/or implemented community projects in collaboration with their partners such as:

Halloween party for youth living at the Samaritan House and Trunk O’ Treat with DPD

Making Xmas stockings for abused and neglected children involved with the Department of Human Services

Backpack and School Supply Drives

Hosting summer BBQs for Housing Projects.

The SCYLT has participated in/or implemented over 300 community events.

Youth Leadership & Development:

Through peer mentoring and trainings, they can instill leadership skills in younger youth while developing their own self-esteem, community engagement and leadership skills. SCYLT participated in several social and justice reform efforts on local, state, and national levels. The SCYLT has received letters of appreciation from several community members for their participation and assistance over the years.

Annual Safe City Youth Summit:

For the past 30 years, the SCYLT has planned and coordinated the Annual Safe City Youth Summit. The Summit is open to youth between the ages of 13 to 18 years and is designed by youth for youth. The summit was designed to give youth a chance to discuss issues they face. In addition, the summit offers a process for youth to interact with support programs and policies that better the lives of youth within the Denver-metro area. The Summit’s mission is to create a safe space for youth to discuss, address, and implement an ongoing partnership within the youth community. The Summit’s agenda and workshops are developed, identified, selected, coordinated, and implemented by the SCYLT and youth from community partner organizations. This event features:

Youth-Led Roundtable discussion

Interactive workshops on the latest hot topics as identified by the PSYLT

Youth entertainment

Breakfast/lunch

Giveaways!!

Scholarships!!

Practices and Program Strategy

Denver Office of Neighborhood Safety utilizes best practices of youth violence prevention as a key program strategy to stop youth violence. Its Youth Leadership Team (YLT) strategy implemented in 1994 is appropriately grounded in the field of positive youth development and youth engagement. It’s important to remember that even though youth involvement promotes positive youth development, this philosophy is grounded in the belief that youth are best served when they are active participants in activities & relationships with adults and other youth; when their input influences decisions made about them. The youth development movement was created to emphasize the positive outcomes that youth can create, help them to develop well, but also to utilize their expertise in enhancing systems transformation.

Safe City Youth Leadership Team Program (SCYLTP) strategy provides an ongoing youth voice to inform SCYLTP programming interventions; assist SCYLTP and its partners in their youth, family, and civic engagement strategies; and assist in collecting needs data from youth and adults to target its resources. Youth are recruited from SCYLTP diversion programs, partner schools, and youth serving community groups. Since this is not a summer youth employment program, youth are required to:

Commit to participating on the SCYLT for a minimum of two years

Complete an application and CSA onboarding process

Attend mandatory two-hour training/planning year-round weekly sessions as scheduled

Work a maximum of ten hours per week during the school year

Participate in peer trainings as assigned