Background
In June 2006, representatives from the Mayor's Office for Education and Children, Assets for Colorado Youth, and the Children, Youth and Environments Center for Research and Design at the University of Colorado Denver launched the Denver Child & Youth Friendly City Initiative (CYFC), inspired by the principles of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The CRC guarantees young people the right to supportive environments and opportunities to make their voices heard in matters that affect them. We are working with key stakeholders from around Denver to implement the CYFC Initiative, including the Honorable Mayor John Hickenlooper, Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet, other Denver leaders, young people and their families. By forming a broad-based coalition of public and private partners, we aim to unify and strengthen Denver's efforts to provide healthy, safe, and caring environments for young people, and, by extension, all residents of Denver. This Initiative will not only benefit Denver's children and families, but will also help the city attract and retain the workforce essential to the city's long-term well-being.