The Strategic Management and Diversity Office is working on a proposed plan, The Right to Breathe.  This plan was created as a result of conversations held with the Human Relations Commission, African American Advisory Committee, and the East Valley NAACP after the death of George Floyd and local Tempe events.

The absence of services can change the trajectory of a youth’s life – from poverty and truancy, to financial education and graduation, from forgotten student to community leader.  We asked how the City can create positive influences in the lives of its youth from communities of color and other vulnerable populations.

The Right to Breathe plan has three steps:

1. Completion of a Failure Analysis will be provided to City staff, the Human Relations Commission, the African American Advisory Committee, Equity in Action members, EVNAACP leadership, the Tardeada Advisory Board, and the Mayor’s Commission on Disability Concerns;
2. Creation of data sharing partnerships with City departments, Tempe school districts, and ASU through data-sharing platforms; and
3. Partnership with local loan fund to provide financial inclusion services and education for communities of color and low-income populations.

These steps, taken collectively, will allow the City to comprehensively address the underlying, consistent contributors to death and disengagement in youth of color and youth from vulnerable communities.

The creation of a strategic performance measure will ultimately hold our City accountable for how we address and solve systemic issues concerning our community’s youth.  This measure will incorporate elements of education, truancy, poverty, justice system encounters, and social services.

Read the draft plan