By Jenifer Wallitsch
On July 10, more than 75 youth and over 30 adult volunteers, law enforcement officers, and community-based organization staff came together for the Metro Mayors Coalition’s 2026 Shannon Grant Summer Event at Rumney Marsh Academy in Revere. The event celebrated regional collaboration while strengthening positive relationships between youth, law enforcement, and community partners in support of reducing youth violence and gang involvement across Metro Mayors Coalition communities.
Youth from Braintree, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Quincy, Revere, Somerville, and Winthrop participated in a full day of engaging activities designed to promote teamwork, wellness, and community connection. Throughout the day, participants enjoyed basketball, volleyball, flag football, indoor and outdoor arts and crafts, lawn games, fitness activities led by the Bruins Foundation, a youth-focused mental health presentation, music from the Mystic Valley YMCA Mobile Music Studio, and a community cookout led by Revere PAL. The event also welcomed Somerville Mayor Jake Wilson and Senator DiDomenico who stopped by to meet with participants and show their support for the program.
This year’s event marked several exciting milestones. For the first time, the Metro Mayors Coalition established a Youth Advisory Board (YAB) to help shape the vision and planning of the event. The YAB brought together youth representatives from across the region to provide ideas, offer feedback, and ensure the event reflected the interests and priorities of those it was designed to serve. During the opening ceremony, members of the Youth Advisory Board shared inspiring remarks about the importance of being included in the planning process and expressed their appreciation for having their voices heard.
The event also saw its strongest volunteer participation to date. Partners from both our Community Based Organizations and Police Departments provided enough volunteers to fully staff activity stations, creating more opportunities for meaningful interactions between youth, law enforcement officers, and community-based organization staff while ensuring activities were well supervised throughout the day. These informal conversations and shared experiences are a key component of the Shannon Grant’s mission to build trust, strengthen community relationships, and create positive connections with young people.
Since 2009, the Metro Mayors Coalition has hosted an annual summer event bringing together youth, law enforcement, and community-based organizations Image previewparticipating in the Metro Mayors Shannon Community Safety Initiative. This state-funded program, administered by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Office of Grants and Research (OGR), supports regional strategies to reduce gang involvement and youth violence through prevention, intervention, law enforcement collaboration, employment opportunities, and positive youth development. Each summer, the event rotates among coalition communities, providing youth with a fun, safe environment to build relationships and strengthen connections across the region.
For more information about the Metro Mayors Shannon Community Safety Initiative or the Metro Mayors Coalition, please contact Jenifer Wallitsch at [email protected].