Florence Mayor Rolls OUT New Initiative Focused On Youth

Florence, S.C. Mayor Teresa Myers Ervin announced today the roll out of the Mayor’s Youth Initiative, a youth focused initiative part of the Mayor’s Coalition for Humanity, which was introduced in December 2020.

“The youth initiative was a long time coming, as I announced it would be a part of the first prong under my Mayor’s Coalition for Humanity, which is a drive that would serve as a clearinghouse for all organizations to be able to work together to address specific needs in the City of Florence,” said Mayor Myers Ervin.

The Mayor’s Youth Initiative (MYI) will be a strategic partnership aimed at promoting the health, well-being, and success of the youth of Florence, S.C., through utilizing local service providers, community leaders, and education experts to coordinate and provide services for the City of Florence’s youth and their families.

“The City of Florence has so many organizations that do so many good things for our citizens of Florence when the government is lacking resources or the manpower to help. Just think of the documented success that would come about if their interconnectedness were truly representative of the whole. This is being put into action.”

Working with the mayor is an 18-member committee, co-chaired by Dr. Ronald Murphy of Francis Marion University and Beverly Woods of Florence School District 1. The Mayor’s Youth Initiative is also comprised of 16 partnering organizations, covering services from education to finances.

The first roll out of the initiative is through its website, www.florencemayorsyouthinitiative.com, which provides a list of resources, events, and partnering organizations to meet family needs. To navigate with ease, each section is broken down specifically for youth and parents.

In addition, there will be an information event for parents and youth on Friday, August 19, 2022, from 4 PM to 7 PM at the Barnes Street Activity Center (513 Barnes Street). Attendees will be able to meet the participating partners and learn more about the services they offer. It is a free event, open to the public and will include food, music, and door prizes.

Mayor Myers Ervin said, “Overall, I am committed to moving Florence forward by being very deliberate about communication and oneness as we seek to move the needle of progress through collaboration of institutions, organizations, and citizens working together to ensure advancement.”

To date, the first prong of the Mayor’s Coalition for Humanity- which includes the following initiatives: Mayor’s Citizen’s Roundtable, Community Esthetic Ad Hoc Committee, Cultural Arts Committee, co-chaired by Dr. Fred Carter, president, Francis Marion University and Rev. Merritt B. Graves, pastor, Mount Zion A.M.E. Church, and the Resilience and Sustainability Advisory Committee, chaired by Mindy Taylor, district manager, government & community relations, Duke Energy- is complete and doing the work.