Emerging Youth Achievement Advisory Council Meeting - April 24, 2026

The Emerging Youth Achievement Advisory Council, chaired by Ald. Jose Perez, met on April 24, 2026, at 8:30 AM (called to order at 8:38 AM) in City Hall Room 301-B. The council heard presentations from Mentor Greater Milwaukee and Employ Milwaukee (Earn and Learn and Camp Rise programs), discussed funding and capacity challenges, and postponed two agenda items due to time constraints. Key outcomes included approval of prior meeting minutes and a commitment to follow up on data and funding strategies.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of prior meeting minutes: Moved by Ald. Stamper, seconded by Brian Litzsey, approved without objection.

Discussion Items

• Mentor Greater Milwaukee Presentation (LaNelle Ramey, Executive Director):

  • Mission: Increase mentoring capacity for youth ages 10–24 in Milwaukee. Founded in 2019 by the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Bucks, and Milwaukee Public Schools. Part of a national affiliate network of 23 affiliates.
  • Core priorities: Technical assistance, recruitment via the Mentoring Connector (milwaukeementor.com), advocacy (annual symposium, Capitol Hill Day), and data use to strengthen mentoring.
  • Statistics: 102 program partners (86 actively accepting mentors/mentees); Youth Voice Summit hires 12–15 interns annually; 37% decrease in youth sense of belonging over 10 years (Wisconsin study); 45% of African American K–12 students lacked a trusted adult at school.
  • Barriers: Wait lists (Big Brothers Big Sisters has 200+ youth waiting), funding challenges (DEI divestment, shift toward workforce development framing), staffing shortages, data-sharing reluctance among organizations.
  • Consistency standard: ~1.5 hours per month for at least 6 months can be effective.
  • City partnership: CDBG-funded free support/training for city employees; city employees allowed up to 1.5 hours/month of paid time to mentor (per Mayor Johnson’s policy).
  • Quality assurance: Partner programs must complete Elements of Effective Mentoring Practices training and background checks; MENTOR does not grade or require full data sharing. National Quality Mentoring System (NQMS) suggested as a potential evaluation framework.

• Employ Milwaukee Presentation (Cody Harding, Performance and Reporting Analyst; Romell Greer, Camp Rise Director):

  • Earn and Learn Community Work Experience Program: Subsidized summer youth employment for ages 14–24; $12.21/hour, 20 hours/week for 7 weeks. Provides first-time work experience, onboarding (I-9, W-4), financial literacy, and free bank account through Educators Credit Union.
  • Statistics: 2,276 applicants for approximately 800 planned slots (capacity); 83 work site organizations requested 1,069 participants. Budget estimated at “a little over $1M” (though total cost per participant ~$2,000–$2,300 would imply a higher budget; this discrepancy was noted by council members). Funding sources: State DWD, CDBG, and restricted internal grants (e.g., Serve hospitality grant, Biohealth grant).
  • Capacity constraint: Funding is the primary limitation; 1,400 youth were served during COVID peak (ARPA funds). Council members (including Ald. Perez and a member) voiced strong support for tripling resources to meet demand.
  • Post-program tracking: Largely anecdotal; new Camp Rise partnership aims to improve outcome data.
  • Camp Rise: Work-based, life-skills summer program for MPS students ages 10–13, started 2022. 2026 plans: 350 participants (245 new slots + ~114–115 returning); 500 applications received. Budget not provided. Program runs June 22–Aug 7 at North Division building (MPS site). Boys and girls separated (200 boys, 150 girls); 1:8 staff-to-youth ratio; free busing, lunch, and stipend. New pre-apprenticeship lanes in healthcare, manufacturing, STEM, and public service for 12–13 year olds.
  • Participants age out into Earn and Learn at 14.
  • Council members (including Ald. Perez and a member) expressed strong interest in expanding Camp Rise capacity and noted the high demand (only ~350 slots for 500 applicants).

Key Outcomes

• Directives and next steps:
  • The council directed Employ Milwaukee to provide detailed budget and per-participant cost data for both Earn and Learn and Camp Rise.
  • Council members committed to exploring CDBG funding requirements to strengthen mentoring quality standards (e.g., requiring NQMS evaluation for CDBG-funded youth programs).
  • Mentor Greater Milwaukee’s Executive Director was invited to return at the end of summer 2026 to report on outcomes.
• Postponed items: MPS Career and Technical Education (CTE) presentation and MPS COIN presentation were postponed to the next meeting due to the flood drill time constraint.
• Next meeting: Scheduled for May 14, 2026. The Milwaukee Succeeds Partnership update was noted as a future discussion item.