Community leaders came together today to celebrate the young people who helped make Peoria a bit more beautiful this summer in the Mayor’s Youth Program.
This is the fourth year for the program. A group of teenagers each received certificates for participating in the eight-week program at the Gateway Building.
The youths worked with Peoria Public Works on infrastructure projects, beautification efforts and cleaning up the city.
Peoria Public Works Deputy Director Sie Maroon says it took a lot of people working together to make this civic engagement program happen.
“It takes the people who do the work, it takes the leaders, it takes the staff to get this started. It takes the mayor to support it. But it also takes the Peoria Public Schools to come together that we work with in conjunction with this partnership," Maroon said.
Mayor Jim Ardis says the program also builds strong new relationships.
“There’s so many positive things that come out of this program. Just besides the opportunity to participate in it, but also the opportunity to get to know some of your peers in the district that you may not have known and really establish relationship I hope last for the rest of your life," he said.
The program started in 2015.
