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Welcome to the October 5 Ready by 21® National Partnership Update Newsletter.
The purpose of this publication is to make all partners aware of upcoming meetings, event, happenings, and news related to Ready by 21. Contact Ian Faigley if you have stories or news you would like to share or if there are additional people on your team you would like added.
We have created a password-protected Ready by 21 Partnership area on our website. You can access this site for full versions of the articles listed below as well as archives of previous updates. For the 'Read More" links below, you will have to enter the following username and password. You will only have to enter the password once if you click the button on your browser to save it.
Username for all- partner
Password for all- readyby21
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A Note From Karen Pittman
The Partnership's work has begun. We have one month and one Partners' meeting between now and the Search Conference which, as you know, has been targeted as our first opportunity to:
· Have the Ready by 21 Challenge be presented as the major theme of a national conference.
· Present a strand of workshops that are designed to introduce city teams and conference participants to the Ready by 21 Challenge and the technical supports available to help communities
· Display our tools and services together under the Ready by 21 banner.
· Meet with and orient core teams from the first cohort of Ready by 21 Southeast cities.
· Host an invitational meeting as the Partnership for our invitees and select participants from the Search communities.
· Interact with and solicit feedback on our goals, frameworks, and tools from youth and adult leaders who are mobilizing their schools and communities
Here at the Forum, we are knee deep in preparations to ensure that the city teams, partners, partner invitees (e.g. NCY is hoping to use the meeting to orient at least 5 "Ready by 21 Champions" selected by CEOs of their national member organizations) and our own staff have a tremendous conference experience. We sent out instruction packets to our lead contacts in six communities (Richmond, Louisville, Nashville, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky) to help them select their teams and prepare for the Southeast Cities kick-off.
We're using the Search conference as our deadline for clarifying and simplifying all of the moving parts that make Ready by 21 both exciting and confusing. I'll be sending an update to all partners at the end of the week that will have drafts of the summary documents we have been creating to "connect the dots" between all of the Partners' work. A preliminary draft of the one-sheets created to describe the mobilization partner commitments and how they connect got high marks from the Executive Committee last week. We'll use at least a portion of the meeting on the 13th to walk through the goals and deliverables.
Looking forward to our meeting on the 13th.
Ready by 21 Newsletter Submissions
Thanks for the submissions that we are receiving from you to keep our partners informed. As a reminder, please send your submissions by the end of the first and third weeks of the month. We will do our best to get your information included in a timely manner.
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News
Youth Policy Institute #5, Focusing on Southeast States
On Sept 25 & 26, state teams made up of key legislative and executive decision makers from NC, MS, LA, AR, KY and TN traveled to Nashville, TN to participate in the 5th Annual Youth Policy Institute. Co-organized by NCSL and the Forum, the event engaged a cadre of Ready by 21 National Partners as presenters and facilitators, including The Center, Results Leadership Group, Gallup, The Finance Project, Corporate Voices, and Child Trends. Each of the teams worked with their facilitator to develop a detailed action plan for young people their state with the help of Ready by 21 tools and knowledge of the capacities of the Ready by 21 technical partners.
Ready by 21 Quality Counts Initiative Update
In 2007, 7 communities and 5 state were selected to participate in the Ready by 21 Quality Counts Initiative. With technical assistance to sites wrapping up in early 2010, Quality Counts has focused on improving the quality and reach of youth programs and strengthening local and state policies that guide resource allocation, accountability and workforce development. Here are some snapshots of what various Quality Counts sites have done over the past month:
· Georgetown Divide, CA was the recipient of two multi-year grants that will support and sustain the work of their Ready by 21 Coalition. Embedded in both awards is ongoing use of the Youth Program Quality Improvement strategy, which was piloted in the community during this project.
· Indianapolis, IN hosted their "Student Success Summit" in mid-August. Karen Pittman delivered the keynote presentation. Marion County Council on Youth, the lead organization for Quality Counts, organized the summit and used the opportunity to recognize organizations and individuals that have signed their Compact for Youth. The compact outlines ways that individuals and organizations throughout the community commit to changing the odds for local youth and is organized around key aspects of the Ready by 21 framework.
· Nashville, TN hosted the Weikert Center for Youth Program Quality's first Training of Consultants, a capacity building workshop designed for individuals who will support groups of sites through the Youth Program Quality Improvement (YPQI) process. Four other Quality Counts sites (Georgetown Divide, Lexington, Louisville, and St. Louis) participated in the training, and as a result have "home grown" capacity to support ongoing continuous quality improvement.
· Grand Rapids' Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) network and the Heart of West Michigan United Way officially endorsed the YPQA as the assessment tool of choice in the community, two important milestones that will help ensure the sustainability of the Quality Counts initiative.
· Norman, Oklahoma recently piloted a landscape mapping survey to assess the youth program landscape in the community. They are currently reflecting on the findings of the survey with participating agencies.
Corporate Voices for Working Families Attends Fall 2009 Chief Learning Officers Conference
Corporate Voices attended the Fall 2009 Chief Learning Officers Conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado, September 27-30th. Corporate Voices conducted two focus groups to learn the Chief Learning Officers' perspectives on issues related to the ill-prepared workforce that have presented challenges or barriers to them as well as their company. CV also gained information about the extent to which their organization is successful in overcoming these barriers and was able to gather examples of workforce training programs to share with other organizations and communities. Corporate Voices hopes to share their experiences and knowledge gained from the conference and focus groups to the partnership. For more information on the Chief Learning Officers, please visit www.clomedia.com.
Ready by 21 Executive Committee Meeting Held on September 30
The Mobilization partner members of the executive committee met on September 30th to review the Partnership's progress, take a first look at how individual commitments combine to create a whole, and discuss current and future funding priorities. While we did not have all of the information we had hoped to have in place to look at how proposed deliverables match up against our emerging priorities (e.g. start up in SE cities), all agreed that the format created for reviewing Partner goals and commitments and deliverables was extremely helpful and will be even more helpful when we can assign dollars to tasks.
Ready by 21 Ad Appears in October Atlantic
Thank you to Altria/Philip Morris USA for a second appearance of the Rb21 ad in a one-page version published in the October issue of The Atlantic.
Reports and Research
Key Partner Documents Uploaded to Workstation
Every day, more valuable resources are being uploaded to the workstation. Please visit the partnership pages (Ready by 21 partner tab, then shared documents) frequently as there are many key documents being added, such as the Five Steps, updated Powerful Solutions, Technical Assistance Overview and links to promotional materials. Please visit
http://www.fyiworkstation.org/wst/fyi/partners/default.aspx.
Hot Topics- 21st Century Skills: Doomed Pedagogical Fad or Key to the Future?
Supporters and critics of the 21st century skills movement agree that students should master analytical skills, technological skills and "soft" skills such as team work and communication. Furthermore, they agree that the development of these skills is part of a well-rounded education and that obtaining them is an important part of preparing young people for college, work and life. Critics of the movement part ways on how such skills are best developed. They argue that skills and content knowledge are not independent of one other, citing cognitive science research demonstrating that a base of knowledge must be present to gain deeper knowledge and build skills. Critics further believe the 21st century skills movement erodes opportunities for a well-rounded education and further forces schools that are constrained by NCLB to reduce subject matter options in order to increase 21st century skills classes.
Supporters contend that they believe in the value of teaching skills and content together. They argue that their main goal is in fact to integrate 21st century skills into core subjects. However, they also want to set better standards, improve professional and learning environments, increase assessment options, and make core subjects more relevant to students. Supporters argue that not incorporating these skills and making changes such as increasing academic standards will further stagnate students, particularly low-income students in low performing schools.
To read more about the debate and key reference articles, please visit the topic summary at http://forumfyi.org/content/rb21-partner-newsletter-105-news-section. Human Capital Lab Blog
Thanks to Melissa Hough of CVWF for passing along this interesting link. Click here to follow some bloggers reflecting on interesting Human Capital topics that may relate to our Ready by 21 work- http://www.humancapitallab.org/blog/.
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Upcoming Partnership Meetings
Below please find the important dates for the Ready by 21 Partnership in October and November
Upcoming Steering Committee Meeting
Our next Steering Committee Meeting is scheduled for October 13, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the offices of Pew Charitable Trusts, 901 E Street NW, 8th FL, Washington, DC 20004. Please submit any topics for discussion to Jonathan (jonathan@forumfyi.org) or Ian (Ian@forumfyi.org) no later than Tuesday, October 6.
The November Steering Committee meeting will be on November 17th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with location TBD.
December Steering Committee Changes
Jennifer Ginther and Jennifer Hunter from PM USA have requested a check-in meeting with the Partnership in December. We have a steering committee meeting scheduled for December 8th. The Executive committee has proposed that we commandeer that date and meeting (rather than beginning the process of looking for another meeting). We may a) adjust the agenda for the meeting so that we create more time for partner updates against their commitments and discussion of the SE city roll-out, b) limit attendance at the meeting to make it more conducive to discussion, and/or c) consider dividing the meeting time into two parts so that we have time for the executive committee budget holders to meet alone with PM USA.
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Upcoming Events and Opportunities
Richmond America's Promise Dropout Prevention Summit. October 22, 2009
United Way, Communities in Schools of Richmond and Richmond Public Schools present, "Community Pathways for Success", a one-day summit on October 22 focused on ending the school dropout crisis in our community.
Join as Richmond creates a community vision for dropout prevention, build partnerships, gain commitment and adopt an actionable plan to create opportunities for youth to succeed in college, work and life. Karen Pittman and Jennifer Hunter will be presenting the luncheon keynote.
Upcoming Ready by 21 Webinar: Introduction to the Ready by 21 Challenge- October 14, 2:00-3:00 PM EDT
Ready by 21 isn't a program or a campaign or even an initiative. It is a challenge to all who care about children and youth to think differently, learn a different way to manage, make or measure change in order to act differently. Specifically, so that they can make decisions that lead to bigger goals, bolder strategies, better partnerships. This webinar will guide participants through the essential components of the Ready by 21 Challenge. Please feel free to invite your members and staff to join!
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices Symposium on Early Childhood International Initiatives: Lessons Learned from English Speaking Nations. October 15, 3:00 pm-5:00 pm EDT, Washington, DC
Please join the NGA for the upcoming National Governor's Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) sponsored meeting, Symposium on Early Childhood International Initiatives: Lessons Learned from English-Speaking Nations on October 15, 2009 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Hall of the States, 444 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite 333. This event will provide an opportunity for us to hear firsthand from system entrepreneurs and thought leaders about their experiences and progress in the UK, Canada and Australia, and receive an update on how promising approaches to early childhood system change are moving forward in the US.
Recent research on brain development shows that experiences in the early years of life influence neurological and biological pathways that affect health, learning, and behavior throughout life. Children's early environment and experiences play a crucial role in their cognitive, language, and social-emotional development, and have profound effects not only on their early development, but on their lifelong physical and mental health. This new knowledge has been incorporated into most of the current work and thinking about early childhood throughout the world, leading to the evolution of a framework for how best to ensure that children are able to "(a) develop and realize their potential, (b) satisfy their needs, and (c) develop the capacities that allow them to interact successfully with their biological, physical, and social environments (IOM, 2004)."[1] This framework is based on the underlying logic that multiple social, environmental and biological factors interact in a dynamic way over the life of a child to determine healthy growth and development.
Finance Project Webinar- Effective Investments in Positive Youth Development: Implications of Research and Practice. October 13, 2:00 pm-3:00 pm EDT
No single setting or program can provide all the different supports, services, and opportunities that youth need to be successful. In many states and communities, public- and private-sector leaders have come together to develop comprehensive systems of support for positive youth development through coordinating policies, programs and funding. Please join us for our new Financing and Sustaining Youth Programs webinar! Based on The Finance Project's new report, A Guide to Effective Investments in Positive Youth Development: Implications of Research for Financing and Sustaining Programs, this webinar will:
· share key findings on "what works" for youth programs and identify gaps in the research;
· discuss three promising strategies for financing and sustaining a comprehensive and seamless system that supports positive youth development; and
· highlight how some states and communities are developing systems and strategies that coordinate supports for youth.
Search Institute 2009 Healthy Communities Healthy Youth Conference
The Ready by 21 National Partnership is moving "full steam ahead" as a Signature Sponsor of the Search Institute 2009 Healthy Communities · Healthy Youth Conference. The National Partnership has developed several workshops, will staff an exhibit booth along with some Partners who will have individual booths, and will host a reception. Invite your members and prospective funders to this event scheduled for November 5-7 in Cincinnati.
2nd Annual Youth Councils Convening & Capitol Hill Briefing
As some of you may have heard from Elizabeth Gaines at the September partner's meeting, the 2nd Annual Youth Councils Convening & Capitol Hill Briefing will take place Oct 25 & 26 in Washington, DC. In addition to peer to peer learning, we are looking forward to a dialogue between young people and the Ready by 21 National Partners about the role the Youth Councils Network can play in the future of the partnership. If you are interested in participating in this discussion and dinner reception (Oct 25, 5pm - 7pm @ The Cady-Lee House, 7064 Eastern Ave. NW) please RSVP to Danielle Evennou at danielle@forumfyi.org by Friday, October 16. In addition to this reception, partners have an opportunity to show their support for the Youth Councils Network and for youth civic engagement by attending the Capitol Hill briefing "Engaging Youth in Policymaking, Lessons from State and Local Youth Councils" (hosted by America's Youth Councils Network, Sponsored by the Ready by 21 National Partnership) from 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM, Senate Hart Office Building, Room 209. To RSVP, please email rsvp@forumfyi.org.
Ready by 21 Webinar- Funder Focused Ready by 21. October 28, 2009- 1:30 pm-3:00 pm EDT
Forum Updates 2009-2010 Webinar Series
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Jonathan Williams, Ian Faigley and the Ready by 21® National Partnership Team
The Forum for Youth Investment
For more information, contact Jonathan Williams at jonathan@forumfyi.org or Ian Faigley at ian@forumfyi.org.
Ready by 21 is a registered trademark of the Forum for Youth Investment.
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