Ready by 21 National Partnership Sponsors National Youth Development Conference

Founding and Managing Partner
The Forum for Youth Investment

Signature Partner
United Way Worldwide

Mobilization Partners
American Association of School Administrators
America’s Promise Alliance
Corporate Voices for Working Families
The National Collaboration for Youth
The National Conference of State Legislatures
Search Institute

Technical Partners
Child Trends
Community Systems Group
Connect for Kids/SparkAction
David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality
The Finance Project
The Gallup Organization
nFocus Software
Results Leadership Group, LLC
Strive, LLC

Over 1,500 youth and community development advocates will gather at the Duke Energy Center in Cincinnati, Ohio from on November 5-7 for the 13th Annual Search Institute® Healthy Communities Healthy Youth® (HCHY) Conference. The Ready by 21® Partnership is proud to be a Signature Sponsor and content contributor for this conference. Conference attendees will include educators, leaders of youth-serving organizations, and over 400 youth that many of the National Partners have worked with through Ready by 21 or through other programs. The National Partnership is an unprecedented coalition of prominent national organizations representing government, education, nonprofit, business, research and philanthropy.

Ready by 21 founding and managing partner, the Forum for Youth Investment and the Search Institute, have always had tremendous potential for synergy. Each complements the other by bringing together the grassroots approach of HCHY and the leadership focused Ready by 21 Approach developed by the Forum. The strong connection with Search Institute will unfold through a range of conference activities including over 100 learning sessions, youth activities, exhibits and keynote presentations from experts in positive youth development. As a content contributor to the annual conference, the National Partnership has developed six conference sessions. There will be five 90-minute workshops featuring National Partners as presenters. These workshops are:

  • Thinking Outside the Box: An Overview of the Ready by 21 Approach
    Thursday, November 5th 10:45am-12:15pm
    Hear an overview of the Ready by 21 Approach, the critical ingredient behind building broader partnerships, setting bigger goals, using better data and implementing bolder strategies.
  • Breakthroughs to Thriving: Top Down + Bottom Up = Comprehensive Community Change
    Thursday, November 5th 2:00pm-4:00pm
    Be the first to critique tools that the Forum for Youth Investment and the Search Institute hope will help communities link their grassroots mobilization with broader systems change efforts.
  • The Ready by 21 Tool Kit: Tools for Building Better Partnerships and Designing Bolder Strategies
    Friday, November 6th 10:00am-11:30am
    See a demonstration of the core Ready by 21 tools and learn how to crosswalk between them. These tools are used in conjunction with Results-Based Accountability planning and Search Institute’s Assets-Getting to Outcomes planning process.
  • Data-Driven Program Improvement: Management Skills and Measurement Tools for Improving Youth Program Quality
    Friday, November 6th 1:15pm-2:45pm
    Learn about a new research-grounded definition of “point of service quality,” discuss the evidence for program quality as evidence-based intervention and learn how the Weikart Center and Search Institute tools can be used to support and promote quality.
  • Bringing Precision to Your Passion: Tools to Help Answer Questions That Need to be Asked
    Friday, November 6th 3:15pm-4:45pm
    Learn to ask complex questions about who and where children are; how well they’re doing; what they’re participating in; how these critical supports are viewed and supported; and how to join forces to get the answers.
  • Building Effective Business Partnerships
    Friday, November 6th 3:15pm-4:45pm
    Find out what the best methods are for engaging the business community in supporting youth development, learn what research resonates with business leaders and the ways businesses can be and want to be involved.

The sixth session is a mini-assembly to be lead by the Ready by 21 National Partners where a series of state and local case studies will illustrate successful leader collaborations, the hallmark of the Ready by 21 Approach.

The annual Search Institute Conference will serve as an opportunity for the Ready by 21 National Partnership to connect with their organizational members, stakeholders, leaders from potential Ready by 21 locations, and prospective funders. A National Partnership hosted reception kick off events the evening of Wednesday, November 4.

The conference exhibit area will showcase the power and resources of the National Partnership at a joint exhibit booth. A few Partners will set up individual booths alongside the National Partnership booth where a range of demonstrations will take place. Within the exhibit area, attendees will have a chance to speak with Partners about the Ready by 21 Approach and to determine the level of "readiness" for their state or local community.

The 2009 conference theme, "Successful Practices: Surviving to Thriving" allows the Ready by 21 Partnership and Search Institute to continue their commitment to develop broader partnerships, set bigger goals, implement bolder strategies and use better data to improve child and youth outcomes. Through a highly visible presence at this year's Search Conference, the Ready by 21 National Partnership will showcase its resources to build stronger programs in state and local communities.

Visit the Ready by 21 Web site to learn more about the work of the National Partnership. Look at the offerings during the 2009 Search Conference and register to attend.