DETROIT, MI – Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield on Thursday announced the creation of a new Youth and Education Department within city government.

Sheffield named its first senior director and director of youth affairs as part of what she described as a structural investment in Detroit’s young people.

“If we want Detroit to rise higher, which we all do, we know that the next step is how we really invest in our young people and how we continue to improve education in our city,” Sheffield said during a news conference at the Heilmann Recreation Center.

Dr. Chanel Hampton will serve as the city’s first senior director of youth and education and as the mayor’s official education liaison.

Jerjuan Howard, a Detroit-based youth leader and founder of a debate nonprofit, was appointed director of youth affairs.

Sheffield said the move fulfills a campaign promise to make youth and education a central focus of her administration.

“That means not just talking about education, but actually building real structure inside city government to support our students and remove barriers that oftentimes get in their way,” she said.

While noting the mayor does not control the school system, Sheffield said the city can be a stronger partner. About half of Detroit students attend Detroit Public Schools Community District, while the other half attend charter schools.

“Our city government has a rightful role to play — not to duplicate or to seek control, but to partner, to collaborate, and to work together to ensure that every young person in this city gets the future that they deserve,” she said.

The new department will focus on reducing chronic absenteeism, improving transportation coordination so students can reliably get to school, expanding after-school programming at recreation centers and addressing social challenges facing families. The team will also reactivate the city’s Office of Early Learning.

Hampton said the department will serve youth from birth through age 26, with strategies spanning early childhood, K-12 education, college and career access, workforce development and civic engagement.

“We have a duty as a city to ensure we can say the children are well,” Hampton said. “When we are asked, ‘How are the children?’ we can confidently and joyfully respond, ‘The children are well.’”

She said the first 100 days will include community listening sessions, meetings with school leaders and an upcoming education and youth forum. Priorities include out-of-school time programming, absenteeism and transportation.

“We are not replacing systems,” Hampton said. “We are looking at how do we coordinate.”

Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District, called the announcement “an exciting time in the city’s history,” pointing to enrollment growth after decades of decline and improving academic outcomes.

“In Detroit, when we talk about our children, we don’t have a talent gap — we have an opportunity gap,” Vitti said, adding that collaboration around attendance and support services is critical.

Howard said youth must have a seat at the table.

“Changes should not happen to our youth, but happen with our youth,” he said. “They should become the engineers of their own reality.”

Sheffield said the department will operate within her current budget. A separate absenteeism-related proposal will require City Council approval at a later date.