Ready News: October 25, 2013

Harnessing Collective Impact to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

Collective impact is gaining interest across the country as an innovative strategy to solve complex problems that cannot be addressed by individual organizations working in isolation. Can this strategy even help us combat teen pregnancy? Georgia says yes, and is leading the way in showing us how.

Over the past two years, private organizations and public agencies throughout Georgia have been aligning their work under a common framework to make systemic changes in how we do business for young people. As a result, more young people have access to pregnancy prevention programs built on evidence-based practices that work.

See more of this blog by Kim Nolte of the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential.  

Leaders Explore Collaborations to Help Disconnected Youth

A group of leaders gathered in Washington recently to discuss potential of Performance Partnerships - a new approach to making the most of federal resources for disconnected youth. 

"Collaborating for Impact: Improving Outcomes for Youth through Performance Partnerships," was hosted by the Collaborative Forum, which consists of federal, state, local and non-government stakeholders working to improve federally-funded, state-administered programs. Forum policy staffers participated in a panel at the event, which explored ideas like blending education, workforce and nutrition programs to offer supports to high schoolers, and streamlining audit and reporting processes.

Afterschool Network Boosts Youth Leadership Skills

How can afterschool providers boost youth leadership skills? The Nashville After Zone Alliance provided a spark recently with a Youth Leadership Retreat for 100 middle schoolers, featuring workshops (such as Networking 101) and team-building activities. See local newspaper coverage here.

A Network to Inspire First-Generation College Students

Last week marked the release of First to Finish College, a joint project between SparkAction (a division of the Forum for Youth Investment) and Demos. This social media network brings together the voices of youth, alumni, researchers and innovators who are crafting solutions to help first-generation college students get through school and launch successful careers.