E-Newsletter

Making Sure Quality Counts and Youth are Engaged

This month, Karen Pittman traveled to New York for several days of panels, roundtables and discussions on after-school research and quality programs which was hosted by The Center for After-School Excellence. Across the country, Elizabeth Gaines was working with education advisors in California on strategies to solve problems in their community using Ready by 21.

There has been a lot of big news around Ready by 21: the Forum and the United Way of America have joined forces and the Quality Counts sites have been chosen and announced. We can now work together with United Ways on spreading the message of Ready by 21 and as we do that, we can help specific communities begin to work on changing the odds for youth.

The Forum and the American Youth Policy Forum are offering a lunchtime event for cabinet and council directors to come together and share their experiences. In Karen Pittman's latest Youth Today Column, Karen calls for youth workers to be recognized for what roles they play in influencing youth.

The Forum has been working hard with our national partners. in conjunction with America's Promise Alliance, we produced the Dropout Prevention Summit Guide to ensure all stakeholders are included in solving this daunting issue. Karen Pittman and Merita Irby visited the United Way's Community Leaders Conference and the AASA State Leadership Conference respectively.

Happy New Year fromt he Forum. We're proud to announce a new series on children's cabinets and councils: Getting Results and the 2008 Directory. In preparation for a new president, Campaign for Youth has released their policy agenda to guide policymakers in working together for children and youth.

The Forum has been very busy as we prepare for the National Launch of Ready by 21. Even while we are preparing for this large event, the Forum continues to foster our relationships with our partners.

The Ready by 21 Launch was a great success because of you; it was a wonderful moment to mark our 10th anniversary. We have two major publications to share: the Ready by 21 Challenge – the definitive guide to the concepts behind Ready by 21, and The National Partner Profiles and Commitments – to show what our National Partners are bringing to Ready by 21 and a hint at our future plans.