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There’s worrisome truth in the old adage “Idleness is the devil’s workshop.” It’s why KSL is encouraged by an agreement between the Salt Lake City School District and the city itself to find ways to keep kids engaged in meaningful activities, both in and out of school.
As part of the city’s YouthCity program and the school district’s “Community of Caring” initiative, a cooperative effort is underway to generate long-term funding for crucial academic and extracurricular programs designed to help the city’s children succeed in life.
Kids in the capital city are especially at risk. More than half now live at or below the federal poverty level. Many come from immigrant families who struggle with language and social challenges. In fact, students attending Salt Lake City schools speak an astounding 82 different primary languages. The reality of such a dramatic cultural hodgepodge cannot be ignored. It exists! It is only going to intensify! So, it is vital for the community to address the issue.
For city government, it means investing in youth programs. Modest appropriations, for example, could likely be leveraged as seed money to attract millions of dollars in federal grants and corporate gifts to pay for the vital effort.
In KSL’s view, investing in kids up front is much better than incurring the long-term potential costs of academic and social remediation.
