Youth Master Plan Due in July

A task force picked Monday by Nashville Mayor Karl Dean is expected to outline a plan to link services for young people. The so-called “Youth Master Plan” is something that’s been encouraged throughout the country by the National League of Cities.

The task force includes representatives from Metro Schools. But Dean says the classroom is far from the only place students learn. He says commissioning the master plan is partly recognition that schools can’t bear the sole responsibility of rearing children.

“To ignore what happens outside of school, you’re ignoring a huge part of a kid’s life, and we don’t want to do that.”

The master plan is due back to the mayor by the end of July. Dean says he will let the 40-member committee do its own work and isn’t offering suggestions. But the issues he wants addressed include health, home stability and transportation.

The list of those shaping the youth master plan is a who’s who from Nashville non-profits and Metro Government. They represent the Oasis Center and Martha O’Bryan Center, but also the Metro Transit Authority and Public Health Department.