AKRON, Ohio - The Mayor's Youth Leadership Council, formerly Akron Peacemakers, was awarded a $10,000 grant from the U.S. Conference of Mayors to fund a financial literacy program for teens.

The program will serve high school students in the Mayor's Youth Leadership Council. The program will be run by 10 adult facilitators, training up to 24 students in financial literacy so they can serve as mentors for their peers through various financial literacy workshops.

Both the teen facilitators and workshop attendees will be eligible to win a $500 scholarship for participation.

The youth program complements work the city has underway to financially empower Akron residents, said Mayor Dan Horrigan in a news release.

Partnering with United Way of Summit County and Huntington Bank, the city recently opened Akron's first Financial Empowerment Center. The center is designed to help Akron residents strengthen their financial status through free, one-one-one counseling.

The Mayor's Youth Leadership Council offers young Akronites a voice in city government and empowers them to become agents for change.

"With the opening of our first Financial Empowerment Center in the Kenmore neighborhood this year, we have begun to target working adults that need assistance with budgeting, managing debt and increasing savings," Horrigan said in the release. "This DollarWise grant allows us to now also target our youth, to better equip our young residents with the financial competency to transition to the responsibilities of adulthood."

The Mayor's Youth Leadership Council offers young Akronites a voice in city government, and empowers them to become agents for change. Teens who wish to join the council can apply online. The deadline is Oct. 19. For more information, visit the city's website.

The financial literacy programs are sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Bank of America, Akron Public Schools, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, H &R Block, Huntington Bank, Akron Summit County Public Library and the United Way of Summit County.

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