Citywide Youth Coalition has been in planning mode since May 2009, with a series of coalition meetings and discussions with smaller groups to develop a results-based focus for our work.
Much of this work is based on results-based accountability (RBA), which is currently in use with the State of Connecticut, Annie E. Casey Foundation and other youth funders. The Annie E. Casey Foundation has selected Rachel Heerema, executive director, and Monique Turner-Lopez, board president, for a year-long RBA coach training program.
As a coalition, we finalized the community results we seek for youth as well as the indicators we will use to track our success:
Result: Youth graduate high school prepared for success as adults.
- Indicator: High school cummulative graduation rate.
Result: Families effectively support youth's positive development toward success.
- Indicator: Survey of youth reporting family involvement in school and personal life.
Result: Youth have a sense that they will succeed in life.
- Indicator: Survey of youth reporting sense of mastery or hope for the future.
As you can see, a handful of after-school programs or summer camps will not be able to achieve these results working in isolation. Working as a community, which each of us playing our unique parts, we will.
If you haven't done so already, please join our email discussion group, to engage in more regular communication with coalition members and partners.
