(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a new digital engagement campaign designed to foster a dialogue between residents and key stakeholders, including the faith community, law enforcement, the business community and others. The campaign was launched at the 2015 Mayor Marion S. Barry SYEP Career Exploration Fair at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, encourages District residents to share on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram their thoughts using the hash tag #IWishUKnew.

“Engagement is the first step in empowerment and through this campaign we hope to better understand other members of our community,” said Mayor Bowser. “As we continue to build pathways to the middle class, it’s important that we foster a robust and collaborative conversation that allows all voices to be heard.”

The #IWishUKnew grew out of an idea that began when a teacher asked her students to write down what they wished she knew. The results were poignant and revealed insightful realities facing her students. Under the leadership of Deputy Mayor for Greater Economic Opportunity Courtney Snowden, the Bowser Administration will continue the conversation with residents with additional engagement efforts.

The digital engagement campaign was announced during the SYEP’s annual Career Exploration Fair, where employers conducted on-site interviews with potential SYEP employees. Youth were also able to ask questions, explore different career choices, and gain additional information about summer jobs that are available to them. This year, 23,000 youth applied for SYEP and over 16,000 have been fully certified and deemed eligible to participate.