Vaun Mayes has organized numerous youth events in Milwaukee through his initiatives, especially Program the Parks and Community Task Force MKE. These activities are focused on mentoring and providing safe spaces for young people to engage in educational and community-oriented activities.
Some of the events and programs include:
•Park activities: Since at least 2016, Mayes and his group have organized events in local parks, providing food and acting as mentors for young people. These events often include recreational activities like games of cans, kickball, and basketball tournaments.
•Lock-in events: Mayes hosts “lock-in” events to provide a safe space for youth to socialize, have fun, and learn. The events offer games, contests, and mentorship opportunities and are meant to keep kids off the streets.
•Creative programs: Mayes created a studio space with a printing press where youth can record and mix beats while learning about audio engineering. He also established a library and rewards youth who read and provide summaries of books.
•Educational workshops: Through Program the Parks, Mayes provides educational workshops on topics such as “Know Your Rights,” road safety, and community patrols.
•Back-to-school festivals: Mayes has partnered with local police and businesses to organize annual back-to-school festivals. These events have included giveaways of school supplies and backpacks, bike raffles, and free food.
•RBGiftMust MKE: As part of this annual event, Mayes raises money to provide gifts, toys, and other resources to children and families in different Milwaukee neighborhoods.
•College tours: Mayes has helped organize college tours for Milwaukee youth to visit Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and engage in community service.
•Community Task Force MKE: Mayes is the founder of the Community Task Force MKE, a group involved in civics, youth programs, and violence prevention.
•ComForce has a disaster relief division that operates nationally, and work with the City of Milwaukee leading violence prevention efforts across the city and state. Our Door to Door Gift Drive is in year 12 this year, giving over 10k worth of toys, resources, cash, bikes, and etc every year to different areas of the city affected by crime & poverty.
•Program the Parks: He is also the founder of Program the Parks MKE, an initiative started in 2016 to offer mentoring, meals, and activities to Milwaukee youth.
•Other projects: Mayes has organized events such as youth lock-ins, basketball tournaments, and park clean-ups. In May 2025, he was featured in Bold Journey Magazine for his work in the community.
Mayes is also a music artist, influencer, & song writer. To date he has 4 albums out. Heavy Is The Crown, The Afterset, the Afterset 2 and The Reign. The Afterset series are R&B focused, while the others are hip hop/rap centered.
Follow Vaun Mayes on social media at
Instagram: @yunglabtw
Facebook: @VaunLMayes
