Together, Quality Counts Sites Reflect & Southeast Challenge Sites Gear Up

Ready by 21 is about helping leaders bring precision to their passion, whether they are creating a comprehensive child and youth master plan or building a system to improve the quality and reach of youth programs. In mid-April, teams of leaders from 18 different places who are working on one or both of these fronts joined representatives from the Ready by 21 National Partnership in Washington, D.C. for a two-day networking and technical assistance experience.

For participants from the 12 Quality Counts sites who began their work in late 2007, the meeting was a chance to reflect on accomplishments, share lessons learned and discuss strategies for sustaining their work. For teams from the 6 new Southeast Challenge sites, the meeting was a chance to review preliminary findings from their Leadership Capacity Audit and use that information to develop a plan, with support from a coach and the Ready by 21 technical partners. Ronnie Stein, who serves on the Nashville city council said, “This has been a terrific opportunity to get concrete information about things like data collection, children’s budgets and communications. We are on cutting edge right here and it is so wonderful to be part of a community with other cities and partners who care about this stuff as much as we do.”

For the Partnership, it was an energizing two days that showcased a rich variety of local and state strategies and underscored the value of the peer network that under girds Ready by 21. Ayeola Fortune, director of education partnerships at United Way Worldwide, offered this reflection at the end of the two days. “The Partnership is in the business of giving structure to common sense, and Ready by 21 gives us the framework for that. Common sense tells us we should be working this way, and it tells us that no single entity can do this alone. I am energized by our role and about how this connects to United Way Worldwide’s community impact agenda.”

To learn more about the Ready by 21 Initiative, visit the Quality Counts Page. To learn more about the Southeast Challenge, read the press release.

More on the Ready by 21 Southeast Challenge

The Forum and the Ready by 21 Partnership were also excited to convene representatives from the inaugural Ready by 21 Challenge Southeast Cities. Twenty-seven leaders from Atlanta, Chattanooga, Louisville, Nashville, Northern Kentucky and Richmond, including representatives from education, community-based and youth serving organizations, city government, United Way, and business, came together to share lessons and ideas with each other, Quality Counts sites and Ready by 21 Partners.

One of the key activities for Southeast Challenge leaders was the review of preliminary findings from the Ready by 21 Leadership Capacity Audit. Paired with a Ready by 21 Coach, the city teams discussed their reactions and next steps in the process and met with representatives from the Ready by 21 Partnership. The interactive learning agenda provided a better understanding of the tools and resources are available to sites, as well as an opportunity to share lessons between the two distinct, but related, initiatives.

Materials

General Materials

Panel Materials

Ready by 21 Quality Counts and Southeast Challenge sites participated in several panels over the course of two days. Below are select materials from each panel.

Interactive Learning Sessions

The The meeting featured many interactive learning sessions that were led by Forum staff and Ready by 21 Partners. Below is a list of learning sessions organized by the Ready by 21 capacity areas. Click here to view the session descriptions. Materials from select sessions are also available (click the session title below).

Broader Partnerships

  • Engaging Education/Business
  • Building Lasting Coordinating Structures

Bigger Goals

Better Data

Bolder Strategies

Publishing Date: 
April 30, 2010
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