We empower our nonprofit partners to reach over 50,000 children and youth through strategic investments and integrated collaboratives. That means:
However, we know there is still work to be done. And to create systems change in the Greater Washington Region, we must think boldly.
Our Goals
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Ensure all youth in the Greater Washington Region are healthy, happy, and have living wage employment by the age of 25.
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Lead the effort to cut the number of youth disconnected from school and employment in half.
Our investments and collaborative action networks are making systems change progress across the region. Learn more about their recent progress below.
Current Investments
Advancing Early Childhood Education Collaborative
2022
Five partner organizations launched a three-year project, which provides an educational pathway, financial support, and other services to assist Black and Latino women pursuing careers in early childhood education; and provides a shared services model for Black and Latino women-owned early childhood education centers.
April2023
The articulation agreement between American University (AU) and Trinity Washington University; allowing transferability of completers of AU’s Child Development Associate (CDA), a non-credit credential, to degree-granting program, Trinity’s Associate degree program was finalized.
District Student Wellbeing Data Project
November2022
Social-emotional data from 12 local education agencies (LEAs), resulting in a sample of 5,500 students, was collected and shared with our research partner, Bellwether. Bellwether conducted analysis to identify data trends, areas of opportunity for possible intervention, and coaching support to improve student social emotional well-being.
April 2022
Bellwether, Education Forward DC, and Youth Invest Partners released a report of social-emotional data and trends in the region.
Fairfax County
March2022
Youth Invest Partners conducted and delivered a community landscape analysis for two designated Opportunity Neighborhoods in Fairfax County—used analysis to provide recommendations aligned with the Chairman’s Task Force on Equity and Inclusion and One Fairfax policy.
Collaborative Action Networks
DC Career and College Readiness Collaborative Action Network
September 2022
Launched in September 2022, the DC Career and College Readiness Collaborative Action Network convenes system leaders from across the education and employment sectors to ensure all youth, especially youth of color, are graduating high school ready for career and college.
January 2023
The Network finalized a Common Outcomes Framework of foundational, interim and aspirational outcomes to set the strategic direction of their work and provide an accountability framework against which progress will be measured.
DC Boys and Young Men of Color Collaborative Action Network
September2022
Launched in September 2022, the DC Boys and Young Men of Color Collaborative Action Network convenes leaders from government and public systems, K-12 and higher education, nonprofits and business focused on addressing persistent inequities in the outcomes of Boys and Young Men of Color in the District of Columbia.
The Network centered its work on the relaunch of the District’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative (“MBK DC”), and the completion of its certification as a My Brother’s Keeper Alliance community. Youth Invest Partners is the MBK DC backbone entity.
January2023
The Network adopted a common outcomes framework aligned to My Brother’s Keeper milestones:
- Successful completion of Post-Secondary Education or Training;
- Successfully entering the workforce; and
- Keeping young people safe from violence and giving them second chances.
May 2023
- In partnership with the Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism and Partnership (“Serve DC”), Youth Invest Partners will convene the MBK DC Local Action Summit May 31, 2023, at the Martin Luther King Memorial Library. The Summit, an important MBK Alliance certification requirement, will bring together Boys and Young Men of Color, members of the community and a broad cross sector network of stakeholders to vet strategies and review policies that support improved outcomes for the District’s Boys and Young Men of Color.
- Post-Summit, the Network will lead engagements that support the development of, and building of alignment around, an MBK DC Local Action Plan that will outline actionable strategies and policy recommendations.
