Partners in Change
Engaging Young People as Professionals in Efforts to Advance Well-Being in Equitable and Conscious Ways
YTFG’s Spring meeting was designed and led by our Fellows and delved into an array of strategies philanthropy can consider to engage young people as professionals in their investments. We were excited to lift up examples of amazing work underway in New Orleans through the following conversations:
Perspectives on Youth Engagement with two incredible local leaders – Antonio Travis and Ernest Johnson
Building City-Wide Infrastructure for Youth Engagement through the Children and Youth Planning Board
Youth-Centered Justice Movements: Advocacy in Times of Rollbacks
Community-Based Prevention and Family Support to prevent child welfare involvement
The Connection of Arts and Culture to Mental Health and Wellness
Investments to support the economic well-being of Opportunity Youth
We were also excited to offer dedicated, deep dive sessions for our Policy Action Table, our Direct Cash Transfers Action Table, and to launch a new learning series on Narrative Change (scroll down for details). Thanks for attending!
Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Kimberley Richards
We were thrilled to be joined by Dr. Kimberley Richards, longtime trainer, educator and organizer and now Executive Director of the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB).
Dr. Richards' decades of principled, humanistic organizing spans from Pennsylvania to Mississippi and beyond. She has been a longtime partner of YTFG, first taking our Steering Committee and consulting team through PISAB's Undoing Racism training and then joining us for the 2020 Well-Being Summit to create an updated version of our well-being framework.
Dr. Richards is a graduate of Clark College, where she studied Education and Theater. She received a Master’s degree in education from Westminster College, PA. Richards completed a doctoral program of study in Education at the University of Pittsburgh as a Lilly Endowment Fellow in 1995.
Plenary Sessions
Day 1
Welcome
Tonyel Edwards, YTFG Co-Chair, Roy Williams, Greater New Orleans Foundation and State Senator Royce Duplessis
Centering Our Theme
Fellow Introductions
Youth Engagement and Equity
Opening Keynote: Dr. Kimberley Richards, Executive Director, People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond
Perspectives on Youth Engagement and Leadership
This conversation with Antonio Travis, creator of the "Let Kids Be Kids" initiative, and Ernest Johnson, longtime advocate for community empowerment, highlighted the shared responsibility between young people and adults in creating equitable spaces for well-being and work.
Reflections
Denise Graves, Congo Square Preservation Society
Wednesday, April 2
Youth-Centered Justice Movements: Advocacy in Times of Rollbacks
New Orleans has a robust set of justice organizations working to support and advance well-being and equity. Given the unique context of recent rollbacks of key justice reforms, this session will focus on how young professionals can sustain and adapt reforms in challenging times.
Gina Womack, Executive Director and Rio Valdez, Youth Leader, Family and Friends of Louisiana Incarcerated Children
Dominque Jones-Johnson, Founder and Executive Director, and Kash’shae Cooks, Youth Leader, Daughters Beyond Incarceration
Building City-Wide Infrastructure for Youth Engagement
The session focused on the innovative structure of the Children and Youth Planning Board and highlighted lessons learned from creating dedicated city-wide infrastructure to center youth voice
Morgan Shannon, Executive Director, New Orleans Children and Youth Planning Board (CYPB)
Serria Gaines, Senior Opportunity Youth Ambassador, CYPB
Lex Granger, Member, Community Youth Planning Board
Community-Based Prevention and Family Support
My Community Cares (MCC) emphasizes how empowering families prevents system involvement and promotes equity. Over the past two years, MCC has partnered with thousands of families to assess opportunities and challenges and co-design solutions with them to prevent children from entering or remaining in foster care.
Dr. Lauren Broussard, Associate Director, My Community Cares
Thomas McRae, Program Director for MCC at Boys Town
Mischa Martin, Casey Family Programs, Senior Director Strategic Consulting
The Role of Creative Expression in Advancing Equity, Building Community, and Navigating Difficult Times Together
YTFG Fellows worked alongside meeting participants in a container encouraging creative expression to explore how arts can be an integral part of our equity work and help us stay aligned with our values, even in times of crisis and chaos.
Reconnecting New Orleans' Opportunity Youth: A Storied Past, Present Challenges, and Pathways to Success
This session examined why young people in New Orleans become disconnected from education and employment pathways. Leaders from New Orleans' dynamic Opportunity Youth ecosystem will share innovative approaches to reengaging youth in learning and work in a city defined by challenge and resilience.
Claire Jecklin, Founding Executive Director, New Orleans Career Center
Michele Seymour, Director, Reengagement Center at the New Orleans Youth Alliance
Danielle Barringer-Payton, Opportunity Youth Coalition Director, Louisiana Opportunity Youth Alliance
Thursday, April 3
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Launch of the Narrative Change Learning Series (scroll down for details)
Hotel Information
The meeting took place at the Eliza Jane Hotel located at 315 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130. Once a printing house and bitters factory, The Eliza Jane is ideally located between the French Quarter, Central Business District, and Arts District. YTFG members can reserve a room for a group rate of $249 for arrivals starting March 31 and departures as last of April 4. Book your room with this link by February 28.
Narrative Change Learning Series
Based on widespread interest by our members, YTFG is excited to offer a new cohort learning experience that will explore narrative change strategies. YTFG is partnering with expert narrative change practitioners from the Pop Culture Collab to offer this deep dive into narrative change strategy, tailored for our members' unique role working in philanthropy.
YTFG and Pop Culture Collab are designing this learning experience using a cohort model that will take place over the course of six months, in order to offer a more intensive and impactful learning journey. Members who join the cohort will participate in three components, utilizing a mix of facilitated and self-directed learning:
April 3
initial in-person session
An introduction to narrative oceans, narrative systems, and systemic narrative harm
The opening session of the Learning Series introduced the cohort to components of narrative change strategy by focusing on systemic or coordinated narrative harm, examining how narrative systems can be used to dehumanize groups and justify harmful policies.
DATES TBD*
4-part series
Asynchronous learning modules and cohort discussion
Over the next four months, cohort members will engage with a serious of 4 asynchronous learning modules, covering the following topics: 1) narrative oceans and narrative systems, 2) case study on transforming public perception, 3) narrative infrastructure and how funders can invest in it, and 4) narrative impact evaluation.
Learning modules will include short videos, curated reading materials of varying depths, and study questions. A 10-part podcast will also be made available.
YTFG will host monthly virtual meet ups for the cohort to collectively discuss each module’s study questions, and the Pop Culture Collab will host office hours to help cohort members delve deeper into questions arising from the modules.
Date TBD*
Final in-person session at YTFG Fall Convening
We will discuss practical applications and next steps for YTFG as a network.
*Please note that all dates and times are still being confirmed. We are also working to finalize the budget for this learning series, so please know that members who join the cohort may be asked to make an additional contribution beyond their regular membership fees.
If you are interested in joining this learning cohort, please email Carrie Rae to express your interest along with any questions that you may have.