This post is part of a special one-week blog series, Show Me a Baltimore Hero, where Healthy Teen Network highlights Baltimore Heroes. Join us each day to learn more about the people who bring the Charm to Charm City.

Healthy Teen Network bestows a Spirit of Service Award in recognition of an exceptionally strong commitment to community and youth. Councilman Brandon M. Scott was selected for his dedication to young people in Baltimore, shown through his leadership as a Baltimore City Council member, as well as his work mentoring youth and working to ensure a safer future for Baltimore through his work with 300 Men March.

In August, Brandon participated in the 300 Men March, walking from Baltimore to DC, to bring attention to and denounce the violence in Baltimore. 300 Men March, a movement against community violence, aims to mobilize the community, train volunteers to successfully decrease community violence, engage volunteers proactively to decrease community violence, reinforce the community with programs (e.g., youth programs) aimed at preventing the (re)occurrence of violence, and sustain itself for ongoing efforts. 300 Men March holds the philosophy that “We hold ourselves accountable for the successes and failures in our community by looking within to provide permanent answers and lasting solutions…”

Brandon lives this philosophy, as evidenced by his dedicated service to Baltimore. He was sworn in as City Councilman for the 2^nd District on December 8, 2011. Elected at the age of 27, Brandon is the youngest person ever elected to the new single member district City Council. Brandon was born and raised in Baltimore growing up in Park Heights. As a proud Baltimorean, Brandon Scott is a graduate of MERVO High School and St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Brandon’s love and commitment to Baltimore and its citizens is evidenced through his record of service. He began his service to the people of Baltimore as a Site Program Specialist for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Central Maryland where he recruited, screened, and trained mentors for school-based mentoring programs. Next, Brandon represented Northeast Baltimore as a Community Outreach Liaison in the Office of the City Council President, and he continued to represent Northeast Baltimore as a Neighborhood Liaison in the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhoods. He is also a former Recreation Neighborhood Specialist with Baltimore City Recreation and Parks. Brandon currently serves as a mentor for a local high school internship program, hosting an 11^th grade student weekly throughout the year.

Brandon has been very busy during his first term on the council keeping promises he made on the campaign trail. He has led legislative initiatives that created extensive crime data sharing and online reporting of crimes by the Baltimore Police Department. Moreover, Brandon has reinstated Council Oversight of the police department by holding quarterly hearings to make sure the police department is working for our citizens. Additionally, Brandon focuses on building business in his district leading to recognition and awards from a variety of neighborhood groups. He was selected as one of The Daily Record’s Twenty in their Twenties in 2012.

Councilman Scott serves as the Vice Chair of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee and is a member of the Budget and Appropriations, Labor, and Recreation and Parks Committees. He lives in Baltimore’s Frankford Neighborhood.

Brandon Scott’s hard work and commitment to all people of this city, most especially young people, is deserving of our appreciation and admiration, and we are honored to have him accept this award.

Healthy Teen Network will present Councilman Scott with the Spirit of Service award on Thursday, October 15, 2015, at 10:30 am, at Healthy Teen Network’s Annual National Conference, Youth 360°: How & Where Youth Live, Learn, & Play Matters. This year’s event takes place at the Lord Baltimore Hotel.