The Youth Wellness and Opportunities Assessment project aims to shed light on community-identified problems and provide solutions that will help reduce incidences of crime, violence, mental illness, and addiction and improve health and educational training. The assessment areas are the unincorporated areas of Boulevard Heights, Oakland-Ridgeway-Pennsylvania Avenue, and Walker Mill Road South. The purpose of the youth-centered community assessment is to:

• Explore the current landscape of youth-serving programs and services available, including the robust offerings provided by M-NCPPC’s Department of Parks and Recreation, the Prince George’s County Health Department, and Prince George’s County Public Schools; 
• Provide a community-built portrait of the strengths, weaknesses, problems, issues, assets, gaps, and opportunities experienced by youth; and 
• Present action-oriented findings and recommendations to inform the Walker Mill CDC and other shared initiatives; identify possibilities to leverage assets, address needs, and create more opportunities for youth. 
  
  The youth-centered community assessment will engage residents, especially those aged 24 and under. A mixed-method approach consisting of a review of secondary data, a service inventory, focus groups, interviews, and a community survey with a Youth Action Committee shall be used to gather responses. Outreach will be conducted to young people, parents, residents, leaders, and business and property owners to gain their perspectives on problems and solutions. The final work product will be a written wellness and opportunity assessment report with recommendations.

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