Cities United presented Denver Mayor Michael Hancock with the City Award Friday during the organization’s 7th annual convening.

The gathering was held virtually this year because of the pandemic.

Hancock won the award for Denver’s work confronting youth violence and increasing opportunities in under-resourced neighborhoods through actions like the Denver Youth Violence Prevention Action Table (YVPAT).

YVPAT aims to identify actionable items to support youth violence prevention with a conglomerate of youth, community and city leaders.

“I am honored – we are honored – that Cities United and its founding partner, the National League of Cities, recognize the innovative work we are doing to create healthy and hopeful communities for youth and a city where boys and young men of color can reach their full potential,” Hancock said at the virtual Cities United Founder’s Awards.

Hancock convened YVPAT in 2019, bringing together city departments, courts, Denver Public Schools, Denver Health and more community partners to address youth violence holistically. Cities United is a partner and participant of YVPAT.

In the last few months, Denver provided $125,000 in funding and launched safe zones for nearly 20 community partners and has created a Youth Violence Prevention Council to give youth a voice on the YVPAT.

“With the disproportionate impact of a pandemic paired with the economic downturn, young people have had their social infrastructure uprooted,” Hancock said, “and the uptick in youth violence is a call for us to collectively do more.”

Cities United supports a national network of mayors committed to reducing violence among young Black men and boy ages 14 to 24. The City Award is presented to an innovative Cities United partner modeling this goal.

The Cities United mission aligns with the My Brother’s Keeper initiative created by President Barack Obama, which seeks to eliminate opportunity gaps among young men of color. Denver adopted the model in 2014.