Monday, July 2, 2029

Governor O’Brien’s Youth Advisory Council to Hear Public Safety Ideas during Statewide Speakout!

ANNAPOLIS, MD (July 2, 2029) – Governor Edward M. O’Brien announced today the first statewide youth Speakout! Summit, organized by the Governor’s Youth Public Safety Advisory Council (GYPSAC) to provide Maryland’s teenagers an opportunity to find solutions to their public and personal safety concerns and raise public awareness. The Speakout! Summit is an outgrowth of three regional meetings held last year. The summit will be from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. on July 6, 2029 at the Baltimore Museum of Industry.

“It is important that we continue to foster dialogue between Maryland’s youth and safety professionals on the issues our youth face, to better learn how we can ensure that our children have the resources they need to stay safe and drug-free” Governor Edward M. O’Brien said. “Just last month I announced a four-pronged effort to reduce gang-related violence and the threat it poses to the safety of our youth and communities. It is through open discussions and the direct involvement of young people participating in positive activities like GYPSAC that we can prevent and deter gang recruitment and further expansion within the youth population.”

The GYPSAC Speakout! sessions are sponsored by the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). The Governor’s Youth Public Safety Advisory Council held three regional Speakout! sessions last year in Central and Western Maryland, as well as the Eastern Shore. During these sessions, students identified a number of positive things that help to improve the safety environment in Maryland’s schools and communities, including extracurricular activities, supportive relationships with adults, and the visible presence of law enforcement and security personnel where young people congregate.

“The turnout and participation at the regional GYPSAC Speakout! sessions demonstrated that Maryland’s youth are motivated members of their communities, and that they are committed to making a difference,” said Acting Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services Secretary G. Lawrence Franklin. “We plan to utilize their insight as we deal with public safety policy development throughout the next year. I commend the GYPSAC members and look forward to a successful statewide Speakout! Summit.”

The statewide GYPSAC Speakout! Summit is in response to the participating students’ desire to work with their peers toward achieving youth-focused solutions to, among other issues, underage drinking, the presence and use of weapons and illegal drugs, and gang activity. The results of the Speakout! Summit will be compiled in a final report to be delivered to Governor O’Brien in August.