STRATEGIC ARTICULATION MAP aec f .org
ATLANTA CIVIC SITE
OUR PURPOSE // What we will do Develop solutions to build a BRIGHTER FUTURE for
Children
Families
Communities
IMPROVING THE LIVES of Youth and Young Adults
OUR VISION // What we want to see All young people ages 14–24 and their children have the
Family Connections & Relationships
Educational & Employment Opportunities
Communities
necessary for their WELL-BEING and SUCCESS.
OUR FOCUS // How we will do it We are deepening our focus on young people who are disconnected from
FAMILY Young people who lack stable relationships with caring adults and who are potentially in systems
COMMUNITY Young people who live in communities in which they don’t feel safe or supported and have a place to live
OPPORTUNITIES Young people who are not in school / work
and at risk of disconnection
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY How This Strategic Articulation Plan Was Built and What Problem Do We Seek to Solve
The Atlanta Civic Site envisions an Atlanta where all young people aged 14-24 and their children have the family connections & relationships, communities and educational & employment opportunities necessary for their well-being and success. Our approach to the ACS 2020 Strategic Articulation Map began with a collaborative experience to establish a common sense of purpose. By igniting purpose and its pursuit throughout our organization, we were empowered to bring an engaged and inspired presence to the planning process while keeping individuals' gifts, passions and motivations front of mind. From there, we engaged in a facilitated exercise to clarify our vision through snapshots on time horizons of Think Big (5+ years), Start Small (one year from now) and Scale Fast (about 3 years). With those visions snapshots as a guide while tapping into the power of visualization, we identified how we would measure progress, what we would have to do differently and what strategic priorities would be required. From there we determined what critical initiatives would be necessary to give us the action items needed to execute and a well-informed foundation to deliver our organizational outcomes successfully - all in the name and spirit of realizing our purpose. The guiding principles, strategic priorities and critical initiatives set out in the ACS 2020 Strategic Articulation Map will underpin the many specific decisions we will make in the coming years about personnel, programs, partnerships and investments. In light of the finite resources, tradeoffs are inevitable. We will make choices and weigh the tradeoffs in the broader context of our institutional aspirations. To achieve our goals, we will make thoughtful investments that support the interconnectivity between strategies. The creation of the ACS 2020 Strategic Articulation Map was a full team effort. So too, will successful implementation of the plan require the engagement of our team, strategic partners and community.
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SUMMARY OF THE ARTICULATION MAP OUR PURPOSE // What we will do Develop solutions to build a BRIGHTER FUTURE for Children, Families, Communities IMPROVING THE LIVES of Youth and Young Adults OUR VISION // What we want to see All young people ages 14–24 and their children have the Family Connections & Relationships, Educational & Employment, Opportunities, Communities necessary for their WELL-BEING and SUCCESS
OUR FOCUS // How we will do it We are deepening our focus on young people who are disconnected from:
FAMILY Young people who lack stable relationships with caring adults and who are potentially in systems
COMMUNITY Young people who live in communities in which they don’t feel safe or supported and have a place to live
OPPORTUNITIES Young people who are not in school / work and at risk of disconnection
THINK BIG - 2025 START SMALL - 2021 SCALE FAST - 2023
VISION SNAPSHOTS // What We Want To See
FAMILY
COMMUNITY
OPPORTUNITIES
HEADLINE INDICATORS // How we will measure our progress
IMPACT // Areas we hope to influence that are bigger than our work.
FAMILY
COMMUNITY
OPPORTUNITIES
MEASURE // Areas we will measure, manage and hopefully drive with our work.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES // How we will operate
DIFFERENTIATORS // What we must do differently going forward
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES // What’s most important to us
CRITICAL INIATIVES 2021
FAMILY
COMMUNITY
OPPORTUNITIES
Pittsburgh Yards
Support Youth Leadership
The People – Improve Systems and Pilot New Programs
Housing
Strengthen Permanent Connections
The Goal – Nurture, Grow and Invest
Community Safety
Youth Engagement
Pittsburgh Yards – Create a destination, not just a place
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VISION SNAPSHOTS // What We Want To See
THINK BIG (2025) Tested and Promising Innovative Practices
FAMILY Young people who lack stable relationships with caring adults and who are potentially in systems TWO GENERATION APPROACH • Strengthened family connections supported by Two Gen approach that are pervasive among partners working w/children and parents/caretakers in Atlanta. - Examples:
COMMUNITY Young people who live in communities in which they don’t feel safe or supported and have a place to live
OPPORTUNITIES Young people who are not in school / work and at risk of disconnection
PITTSBURGH YARDS • Pittsburgh Yards is fully built out, generating hundreds of living wage jobs for local residents • Pittsburgh Yards is offering opportunities for hundreds of local youth and young adults each year HOUSING • Quality housing is supplied on the southside of the City • Youth and their families are able to use various sources of income to access housing without discrimination • Georgia shifts from being one of the lowest ranked states for policies supporting tenants rights COMMUNITY SAFETY • The City of Atlanta has committed to funding community safety at an equivalent rate as for public safety • There are no deaths due to guns in NPU V and other surrounding neighborhoods • Significant reduction in shooting incidents and gun related deaths in the City of Atlanta. YOUTH ENGAGEMENT • Youth and young adults on the southside of the City vote and, are being elected to more political positions, and have strong civic organizing groups to support their needs. • Youth engaged in all city systems that impact them. Youth leaders are represented throughout public sector bodies • Built up youth of color leadership development pipeline
TEACHERS • ALL students have access to highly effective teachers without bias and able to integrate cultural competency RACE AND EQUITY • Closing Black/White and Brown/White education opportunity gap in Atlanta Public Schools COLLEGE AND CAREER • Atlanta’s youth have clear pathways to college and career REENGAGEMENT • Reengagement center available for youth not in a school that provides access to job and career training and/or reengagement with the school in order to access post-secondary opportunities - All black residents in Atlanta’s Southside have incomes that lead to wealth building - All black-owned businesses have the capital and capacity to grow, sustain, and create jobs - An integrated capital model that supports entrepreneurs through the business life cycle is available, accessible, and delivered through a network of lending partners • Youth and young adults have access to quality jobs and entrepreneurship ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY • Closing racial wealth gap opportunities that complement their interest and lead to sustained self-sufficiency and wealth building • Youth and adults have the knowledge and skill to make sound financial decisions • Pittsburgh Yards serves as the nerve-center for black-owned businesses in Atlanta’s Southside • Community investment tools and community wealth building models provide residents with equity and ownership in commercial real estate and businesses
Family-supporting organizations like Families First, etc., workforce development, childcare, and early-learning providers, and community-based organizations such as Emmaus House
TEEN CONNECT • Teen Connect Program is implemented citywide JUVENILE COURT PROBATION • Juvenile Court Probation Practices Reformed - Race-conscious and equity-centered juvenile court probation practices are adopted citywide.
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VISION SNAPSHOTS // What We Want To See
START SMALL (2021) Collaborative Implementation in Sites
FAMILY Young people who lack stable relationships with caring adults and who are potentially in systems TWO-GENERATION APPROACH Examples: Year 1 • 100% Sheltering Arms Centers applying two- generation approach. (currently implemented at two centers.) • STRIVE Atlanta - Introduce and consider implementation Intermediary • Possible Intermediary/ Partner: United Way of Atlanta. TEEN CONNECT Year 1 • Integrate 2Gen approach into training curriculum. JUVENILE COURT PROBATION Year 1 • Juvenile Court
COMMUNITY Young people who live in communities in which they don’t feel safe or supported and have a place to live
OPPORTUNITIES Young people who are not in school / work and at risk of disconnection
PITTSBURGH YARDS • The Nia Building is a vibrant hub of economic activity and is fully occupied with predominantly black or brown led businesses. Many of the tenant businesses are led by residents from surrounding neighborhoods. • Pittsburgh Yards succeeds in hosting a youth entrepreneurship cohort, in supporting youth artistic expression and in engaging youth as leaders. In all of these, black youth are predominant. HOUSING • Youth housing assessment by the Urban Institute has been completed, is shared with House ATL and other partners, and is informing the Atlanta Civic Site's investment strategy in youth housing needs. • Affordable housing policy advocacy and organizing groups are being supported by Casey to specifically address the housing challenges of youth and young adults (with a focus on Casey's priority populations). Youth and young adults are being supported to engage with these policy and advocacy organizations. • Households connected to elementary schools in NPU-V experience more housing stability through eviction prevention legal assistance, case management and rental assistance provided by Casey's partner organizations. COMMUNITY SAFETY • At least one community organizing group and at least one policy advocacy group is receiving significant support from the Foundation to work towards systems addressing safety from a public health framework. • The Trauma Response Network has a consistent group of trained community members who regularly deploy for NPU-V gun violence incidents. Healing Circles occur regularly and are well attended. The Cure Violence team has built trust and is well recognized in the community. Surrounding communities are observing and asking for these interventions to occur in their areas. YOUTH ENGAGEMENT • Youth organizing and youth leadership groups are working in southwest Atlanta and being supported by the Foundation. They are in regular dialogue with the Atlanta Civic Site and their capacity needs are informing plans for future investments. • A youth led participatory grantmaking process has been conducted and youth have assessed the process and made suggestions for improvements in 2022. • Casey provides support for youth who are selected to serve on the Citizen Review Board (and additional City boards and committees if the opportunity presents itself.)
TEACHERS • Teacher residency supported that includes an intentional focus on anti-bias, cultural competency, and content expertise; • Professional learning for existing teachers in anti-racist and liberatory practices RACE AND EQUITY • A race equity office in Atlanta Public Schools to hold the district and board accountable for the implementation of the equity policy COLLEGE AND CAREER • Career pathways' quality has been assessed for accessibility by student race, class, and neighborhood • Accessibility to Advanced Placement and/or International Baccaulaureate courses has been assessed by student race, class, and neighborhood REENGAGEMENT • Establish a reengagement center for youth who are not currently enrolled in school ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY • Youth and young adult advisory council established to guide the development of a workforce development report and strategy • Strategic partner is secured to position Pittsburgh Yards as the destination for black entrepreneurs and provide technical assistance to cultivate businesses located in the space • Local lender network convened to identify existing small business capital offerings, funding gaps, and needs • Capital partnership established with local CDFI to address financing gaps and technical assistance needs for emerging real estate developers and/or growth businesses • Investment in new workforce development training programs focused on the future of work and other career paths that align with state high-demand careers or economic development strategy
Probation Practices Reform adopted in Fulton County, including an introduction to the 2 Gen approach.
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VISION SNAPSHOTS // What We Want To See
SCALE FAST (2023) Scaling What We Learn
FAMILY Young people who lack stable relationships with caring adults and who are potentially in systems TWO GENERATION APPROACH • Intermediary and/or one direct-service provider (in addition to Sheltering Arms) adopts 2 Gen approach. - UWGA - United Way
COMMUNITY Young people who live in communities in which they don’t feel safe or supported and have a place to live
OPPORTUNITIES Young people who are not in school / work and at risk of disconnection
PITTSBURGH YARDS • Pittsburgh Yards has businesses operating on all five of the ground lease pads and they are hiring local residents at living wages and providing other community benefits. • Pittsburgh Yards has welcomed many youth as interns and apprentices, while continuing to support youth entrepreneurs and artists. HOUSING • House ATL secures $250M in funds to invest in increasing the affordable housing supply in the City by 6,000 units, and a significant number of those units are located on the southside of the City. House ATL's Funders Collective is coordinating investments in multiple projects by multiple funders. • Youth and young adults are serving on committees and councils related to affordable housing and homelessness such at House ATL workgroups, Continuum of Care committees, public sector commissions, etc. • Affordable housing policy advocacy groups achieve increased protections for tenants rights at the state level, resulting in a reduction in eviction filings and actual evictions. COMMUNITY SAFETY • Casey is supporting at least one youth led community organizing group in the community safety space. State and local policy changes are occurring that address safety from a public health framework. • Grady Hospital has fully implemented an evidence-based gun violence intervention program, not just a pilot, and is coordinating with street violence interrupters and outreach workers • The public sector has invested resources in sustaining Cure Violence in Atlanta YOUTH ENGAGEMENT • Casey is working with a greater number of youth led organizations and is working more intensely with those groups, by providing funding and other capacity building supports. • Casey grantees are including youth and young adults as board members. Casey is providing leadership development support for new youth board members to ensure they are successful. • Georgia Funders Network for Racial Equity is investing together in a robust youth organizing, racial equity and leadership development strategy.
TEACHERS • Recruit and retain highly effective teachers with expertise in content, who possess cultural competency, and use liberatory practices with an intentional focus on anti-Black racism RACE AND EQUITY • Chief equity officer is leading the work within the school district to provide increased resources (human and monetary) to Black and Brown communities COLLEGE AND CAREER • Ensure access to effective and high quality career and college pathways for all students regardless of race, class, or neighborhood that result in college going and/or career, including certification upon high school graduation REENGAGEMENT • Provide access to the reengagement center for opportunity youth across the city ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY • Atlanta-based integrated capital funds have invested $10m in small businesses via a mix of debt and equity • Pittsburgh Yards has an investment fund that provides accessible capital to support and grow businesses operating within the space • Employment barriers, such as criminal records, skill needs, and transportation are no longer preventing residents from securing living wage jobs • Residents are investing in local real estate through a mix of crowdfunding and other sources • Graduates of business and residential skill-building programs acquire assets, hire local, and reinvest in their local community • Early tenants of Pittsburgh Yards have outgrown their space and have invested in shipping containers located on the site, pad-ready sites, or purchased buildings in Atlanta’s Southside. These businesses are mentors to the new class of entrepreneurs at PY, investing in local companies, and stabilizing communities. • Casey houses a wealth of data to guide strategic decisions impacting youth, young adults, entrepreneurs, and workforce development agencies • WorkSource Atlanta has the infrastructure to support rapid job matching, on-the-job training, apprenticeships, other workforce programs, and a diverse funding model, reducing the reliance on WOIA funds • A city-wide economic inclusion and equity program exists that addresses public, private, and non-profit sector decision-making, resource allocation, program design, etc.
of Greater Atlanta (Opportunity Youth Initiative)
TEEN CONNECT: • Cohorts operating successfully in at least 5 Southside neighborhoods. Southside neighborhoods JUVENILE COURT PROBATION PRACTITIONERS • Juvenile Court
Probation Practices Reform fully implemented in Fulton County.
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HEADLINE INDICATORS // How we will measure our progress
MEASURE
TWO GENERATION APPROACH • Number of Families served through Two-Gen Approach by Sheltering Arms and a second direct-service provider TBD. TEEN CONNECT • Number of trainers successfully certified• Number of families served JUVENILE COURT PROBATION PRACTICES REFORM • Number of youth assisted via reformed Juvenile Court Probation Practices in Fulton County.
FAMILY Young people who lack stable relationships with caring adults and who are potentially in systems
IMPACT
TWO GENERATION APPROACH • Number of direct service providers that have adopted the Two-Generation Approach TEEN CONNECT • Teen Connect adopted and independently operated by at least one direct-service or community-based organization. JUVENILE COURT PROBATION PRACTICES REFORM • Race-conscious and equality-centered Juvenile Court Probation Practices Reform adopted in at least one system in metro-Atlanta.
MEASURE
PITTSBURGH YARDS • % of the tenants of The Nia Building that are black or brown led businesses; • % of the tenant businesses of The Nia Building that are led by residents from surrounding neighborhoods;• % of Pittsburgh Yards jobs that offer living wages; • % of newly created jobs at Pittsburgh Yards that are held by local residents. • # of youth and young adults annually who participate in internships, apprenticeships, jobs, and entrepreneur- ship opportunities, disagregated by race and residen- tial geography; • # of youth and young adults annually who gain income through their participation at Pittsburgh Yards, disaggregated by race and residential geography; • # of youth apprenticeship hours; • # of youth and young adults annually who take a leadership role with a decision making or planning body related to Pittsburgh Yards, disaggregated by race and residential geography COMMUNITY SAFETY • # of community safety interventions (healing circles, trauma response deployments, mediations, reclaiming space) from ACS supported initiatives
HOUSING • # of affordable housing units preserved, rehabbed, repaired or developed with ACS involvement or ACS supported technical assistance; • % of NPU V housing units income restricted for more than 5 years • # of housing policy groups who work on the housing challenges of youth and young adults • # of state or local tenants rights ordinances/policy changes advocated for by Casey supported groups; • # of evictions in NPU-V neighborhoods YOUTH ENGAGEMENT • % of youth/young adult unemployment for the local area (as close to local geography as we can get) disagregated by race; • # of youth/young adult led businesses for the local area disaggregated by race (need to find out if this data is available)
COMMUNITY Young people who live in communities in which they don’t feel safe or supported and have a place to live
IMPACT
PITTSBURGH YARDS • Number of local and state policy changes that have occurred that support more inclusive economic development practices; • # of private commercial developments with equitable practices (i.e. enhanced community engagement) (need to find out who collects this); • Increase in the job density per acre in NPU V to reach a level comparable to metro Atlanta as a whole COMMUNITY SAFETY • # of gun violence incidents in NPU V and surrounding neighborhoods (measured using hospital and police data)• survey of how safe people feel in community (tracked over time) • # of gun violence incidents and deaths in the City of Atlanta (measured by hospital data and police data combined).
HOUSING • % of low income households that are cost burdened on the southside of the City, disaggregated by race.; • % of households that have substandard housing conditions on the southside of the City, disagreggated by race. • Levels of student homelessness as reported by Atlanta Public Schools for schools on the southside; • Levels of youth homelessness as reported by the City's point in time count.• of state and local policies enacted that support tenants rights; • # of eviction filings in the City of Atlanta; • # of evictions in the City of Atlanta; • level of Georgia's national ranking on tenants rights. YOUTH ENGAGEMENT • Increases in year of life expectancy at birth disagregat- ed by race and location (a CDC measure) • # youth serving on public sector decision making bodies or advisory councils within the City of Atlanta • youth voting rates disaggregated by race and location? (is this data available?)
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HEADLINE INDICATORS // How we will measure our progress
MEASURE
TEACHERS • # of teacher residency programs (and the program’s enrollment capacity) with culturally competent, anti-bias, and liberatory practice embedded; • # of professional learning sessions supported through partners and grantees for current teachers in the district; RACE AND EQUITY • # and quality of the the annual strategic priorities identified and addressed by the Office of Equity and Social Justice; • # of partners providing wrap-around services to the families of APS students and their communities; COLLEGE AND CAREER • # of students enrolled in the college & career academy completing certificated programming; • # of job partners working with APS students completing certification programs providing immediate job placement for youth upon completion
REENGAGEMENT • X number of reengagement opportunities/centers for youth not enrolled in school to access; • Number of youth participating in reengagement opportunities related to school and/or career certification and job placement; Economic opportunity • % of residents with living wage jobs • # of residents moving along career pathways (entry-level employment to manager-level or beyond) • % of residents maintaining continuous employment • % decrease in unemployment • # of PY businesses creating jobs Entrepreneurship opportunity • % decrease in business displacement • % increase of businesses located in the Southside • $ increase of equity invested in businesses • % capital allocation change (e.g., 50% debt, 50% equity instead of 100% debt) • % increase in loan types (microloans, small biz loans up to $250,000, 1m+, etc.)
OPPORTUNITIES Young people who are not in school / work and at risk of disconnection
IMPACT
TEACHERS • % of new teachers to APS with training in cultural competency, anti-bias, and liberatory practice; • % of new teachers who were trained in a teacher residency program; • % of existing teachers who participate in anti-bias, cultural competency, and liberatory practice professional learning; • % of highly effective teachers retained by the district RACE AND EQUITY • % of Black and Brown students in classes with highly effective teachers; • % of Black and Brown students with access to wrap-around services to support school community and family needs; • % of Black and Brown students remaining in school and graduating matches % of white students remaining and graduation (gap closure)
COLLEGE AND CAREER • % of students graduating HS and going on to college; • % of students graduating HS with a career certification and job placement REENGAGEMENT • Number of youth who did participate reenrolling in school and/or acquiring certifications and job placement ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY • % of residents living above the poverty-line ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITY • % of black businesses experiencing year-over-year growth • % of black businesses shifting from solopreneurs to job creators • % increase of capital and capital mix for Southside businesses • $ increase in direct capital to Southside businesses
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GUIDING PRINCIPLES // How we will operate
Create equitable opportunities for black and brown youth
Investments are guided by youth voice and leadership
Multisystem and multisector collaboration to drive holistic solutions is essential
Lead with a healing centered approach
DIFFERENTIATORS // What we must do differently going forward
Shifting Performance Measures and Key Performance Indicators
Cross-Foundation collaboration and coordination
More coordination and collaboration across strategy areas
Community strategy to support clear and deliberate messaging that accurately reflects the intent of work
Be more strategic & targeted with time and influence
Ensure consistency in process and way we “break-up” with legacy partners (see Common Practice Tool – Horizon)
More co-investment / seek additional partners
Ramp-up self-care and balance
Change mindset of what success looks like
Shift from program focus (solely) towards system changes
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STRATEGIC PRIORITIES // What’s most important to us
FAMILY Young people who lack stable relationships with caring adults and who are potentially in systems
Ensure Systems Help Young People Meet Their Basic Needs
Strengthen Permanent Connections
Build Financial Stability and Long Term Success
Provide Access to Education and Credentials
Support Youth Leadership
CRITICAL INIATIVES
• Provide Access to Education and Credentials • Build Financial Stability and long-term Success • Ensure Systems Help Young People Meet Their Basic Needs
• Provide Two-Gen technical assistance and support • Provide Teen Connect technical assistance and support • Provide Juvenile Court Probation Practitioners technical assistance and support
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STRATEGIC PRIORITIES // What’s most important to us
COMMUNITY Young people who live in communities in which they don’t feel safe or supported and have a place to live
Ensure Systems Help Young People Meet Their Basic Needs
Strengthen Permanent Connections
Build Financial Stability and Long Term Success
Provide Access to Education and Credentials
Support Youth Leadership
CRITICAL INIATIVES
• Completion of Phase I development to include: The Nia Building and the Shipping Container Courtyard and five pad sites for future development (2020); Completion of case study of development lessons learned (2020); • PY Pad Site Development - Leverage Aerotropolis Atlanta Member Affilation - feature sites in Aerotropolis Development Propectus (confirm publishing) (2021); • Influencing Other Developers - Leverage Aerotropolis Atlanta Member Affilation - PY featured in Development Propectus (confirm timing); PY featured as Atlanta Beltline Tour stop (2021/2022); PY profiled in commercial real estate publications (2021/2022); PY project submission to Urban Land Institute's Atlanta Awards for Excellence (2023) • Executing an agreement for a youth entrepreneurial training program; Hosting a second economic development/urban planning training for youth
• Capacity building supports for affordable housing developers and youth homelessness providers. • Casey works with other funders to encourage support for a coalition of advocacy groups who are working on tenants rights policies and for eviction prevention assistance.
• Active support of community led conversations to reform police operations and utilize public safety resources in ways that are less puntitive and based on public health interest • Casey is supporting gun safety work. CURE Violence is being implemented with fidelity to the model
• Youth led participatory grant making process is implemented across multiple cycles/years, with improvements in leadership and autonomy over time.
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STRATEGIC PRIORITIES // What’s most important to us
OPPORTUNITIES Young people who are not in school / work and at risk of disconnection
Ensure Systems Help Young People Meet Their Basic Needs
Strengthen Permanent Connections
Build Financial Stability and Long Term Success
Provide Access to Education and Credentials
Support Youth Leadership
CRITICAL INIATIVES
POLICY ▪ Continue to invest in existing organizations, such as the Georgia Justice Project, CareerRise, and Georgia Watch ▪ Provide additional technical assistance to WorkSource Atlanta/Invest Atlanta to build a diversified funding strategy; develop a comprehensive network model capturing the processes, organizations, and infrastructure for rapid job matching; and guide the agency’s approach to youth and young adults. PRACTICE ▪ Deliver capacity building support to assist talent development partners in expanding course curriculum, including working in virtual environments, delivering content to encourage engagement, and offering virtual coaching sessions ▪ Partner with Generation and The Urban League of Greater Atlanta to conceptualize and implement a contact tracing workforce training program ▪ Increase investment in workforce solutions targeting Opportunity Youth and reentry ▪ Develop a Virtual Rapid Response Community Resource Center in collaboration with members of the Changing the Odds Network and community partners to connect residents to social services, basic needs, workforce development providers, etc.; secure co-investments from a local foundation(s) ▪ Develop a Youth Workforce Council in partnership with ACS’s Education Achievement and Men & Boys Initiative as well as community groups to inform AECF and the City on the challenges, opportunities, and interests in both work/career and entrepreneurship ▪ Identify job creation opportunities at Pittsburgh Yards PARTNERSHIPS ▪ Identify organizations focused on the Future of Work, creative industries, financial inclusion, and youth activism ▪ Pursue local and national co-investment partners for piloting, testing, and scaling programs DATA/MEASUREMENTS ▪ Expand the talent development data dashboard to assess performance
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POLICY ▪ Advocate for policy changes to public sector RFP and RFQ requirements that create barriers of entry for black-owned businesses ▪ Convene lender network to coalesce on an equity and inclusion framework and a funding roadmap to reach small entrepreneurs in various business lifecycle stages ▪ Amplify the need for commercial inclusionary zoning to ensure the availability of affordable commercial real estate to house black-owned businesses and startups PRACTICE ▪ Invest in disruptive innovation and approaches to increase the performance of black-owned businesses across sectors and stimulate youth entrepreneurship ▪ Pittsburgh Yards (see slides) ▪ Provide implementation grants to organizations building accessible capital products, such as a community investment trust, crowd-funding platforms, and equity funds ▪ Partner with lender network and the social investment team to develop new product offerings, such as a business line of credit and loan guaranty program PARTNERSHIPS ▪ Identify national organizations investing in innovation and entrepreneurialism to attract them to the Atlanta market ▪ Pursue local and national co-investment, co-development, and co-implementation partners for piloting, testing, and scaling programs ▪ Leverage AWBI, Invest Atlanta, and existing grantees to develop and implement programs DATA ▪ Fund research to identify black-owned, growth businesses in Atlanta, across sector and size CHALLENGES ▪ PY is marketed as a mission-centric, co-working space for entrepreneurs using language and the perspective of a foundation ▪ Pittsburgh Yards’ current brand hinges on an identity that reverberates the beauty of a local community, yet lack a presence that extends into the hearts and minds of entrepreneurs who are: ▪ Facing displacement; ▪ In need of a network of professional services and resources to subsidize the lack of capital to invest in business operations; ▪ Seeking an infrastructure that complements daily operations and the need to expand current business models for economic recovery; and ▪ Don’t have a relationship with NPU-V ▪ Need to fill the space with black and brown entrepreneurs as the uncertainty of business recovery compromises lease volume POLICY/PROSPECTIVE ▪ Leverage the need to move to recovery (COVID-19) and the unyielding passion of protesters seeking economic justice through strengthening and circulating the black dollar to evolve Pittsburgh Yards approach and message ▪ Evolve identity to connect with the spirit of black entrepreneurship in Atlanta emphasizing the unique perspective and opportunities that await dreamers, innovators, mom-and-pop businesses, and serial entrepreneurs as well as the ability to receive resources to cultivate business growth PRACTICE ▪ Create a surround sound campaign leveraging all media formats (digital, print, and tv) and local influences to establish a brand voice that: ▪ resonates with and inspires black and brown entrepreneur
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PROBLEM STATEMENT AND FOCUS AREAS
Why deepen our focus on young people who are disconnected from opportunities, family, and community? The United States has one of the most shocking wealth inequality conditions worldwide. The wealthiest 1 percent of families possess 40 percent of all wealth and the remaining 90 percent hold less than a quarter. [1] Not only is income inequality a crisis, but it is getting worse. Income inequality in America has increased about 20% from 1980 to 2016. [2] Much of this inequality can be traced to the effects of structural racism and intergenerational poverty that continue to plague our communities. While efforts to shift this imbalance are often aimed at older adults or young children suffering in poverty, young people – those in their crucial adolescent developmental stage – are most often left neglected. Among the 48 million young people in the United States, 10 million live in low-income families and 7 million in high-poverty communities. There are 4.6 million youth who are young parents, 3.4 million involved in the justice system, and 730,000 involved in the child welfare system. These statistics tell us that young people in the United States are suffering, systemically. Without adequate systems for support and success, young people experiencing the burdens of poverty risk becoming disconnected from their families and communities, stifling their ability to realize their full potential. Persisting racialized structural barriers mean that youth are being incarcerated rather than attending schools and jobs, being left homeless without safeguards in the foster care system, and fearing for their safety in their neighborhoods rather than experiencing nurturing, supportive connections. There is a dire need for policies that guide youth in their path to success and help them reach their potential as thriving adults. In order to support our country’s young people, policies must replace obstacles with opportunities. Adolescents aged 14-24 are in a critical period of development. With a strong foundation of family connections, relationships, communities and educational and employment opportunities, these young people can be positioned to assume productive, meaningful, and thoughtful roles in their communities and our country. AECF – Atlanta Civic Site aims to reconnect young people who have been oppressed by these systems of inequality and ensure that others do not find themselves disconnected. We aim to support youth leadership and development, build up culturally rooted community-based programs targeted toward young people, and empower these individuals with a culture of belonging. The Atlanta Civic Site identified three focus areas : (i) strong connections with school and opportunities for work, (ii) supportive communities and caring adults to support youth’s success, and (iii) spaces where youth feel safe, valued, and that they belong. FOCUS AREA ONE: Remaining Connected to School and Work Among the 48 million young people ages 14–24 in the United States, 4.7 million are not in school or working. There is a crisis of young people being disconnected from opportunity. For example, a key obstacle for youth’s education and employment is the school to prison pipeline. Here, harmful racialized discipline policies, like school expulsions and suspensions entail that youth of color are suspended and expelled from school at alarming rates. Such disciplinary tactics directly disconnect youth from opportunity, rather than focusing on necessary restoration and support mechanisms for them to learn and thrive. In addition to restorative measures, research shows that combining work-based learning alongside paid work experience and postsecondary education are critical to enabling youth engagement with school and work. This requires employers, high schools and postsecondary institutions to cooperate around a shared goal – keeping young people connected to their education trajectories and eventual careers. In order to keep youth connected to school and work, we need reformed state education funding so that schools in low income districts can provide holistic supports and family engagement to young people. Unequal education funding is directly impacted by extreme racial residential segregation in the United States. Though there are numerically more poor Whites than poor Blacks in the United States, poor Whites most often reside in wealthier, whiter neighborhoods where they can benefit from shared communal resources. This is not the case for poor people of color. In communities of color, we often see poverty concentrated residentially, meaning that there is little to no community wealth to support those struggling the most. One of the many outcomes of racially and residentially
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concentrated poverty is low investment in local public schools for those of color, thereby higher dropout rates, increased disciplinary actions, systemic incarcerations – all resulting in disconnected youth. [3] Accordingly, there is a need to reform school funding systems and expand models like community schools and that can provide wrap-around services to support students’ health and mental health and other needs. We need to work toward supporting older youth in the skill building they need to graduate from high school ready for work and post-secondary education. FOCUS AREA TWO: Connecting Youth to Supportive Communities and Caring Adults Many youth also lack stable relationships with caring adults or communities in which they feel safe and supported. Without a foundation for nurture and protection, young people are increasingly jeopardized – both physically and emotionally – at a stage in life where they are incredibly vulnerable. The disconnection from their caregivers denies young people adequate emotional, financial, medical and other critical support. Family is often one’s initial source of care and guidance; so, without meaningful connections to adults and caregivers, youth are left without a foundation they can rely on to direct their futures. Moreover, given that 4.6 youth are young parents, the disconnection with their caregivers hampers their relationships with their own children. Therefore, establishing a strong connection to community and family is crucial in securing young people’s potential to thrive – and their ability to provide the same for future generations. A main priority is keeping youth in safe and secure homes. Given that so many young people have been removed from their homes and placed in the welfare system, reforming the foster care institution is a key need in order to keep young people connected to family. We must push for policies that prevent youth from being removed from their birth homes and prevent re-entry into foster care of youth who have been reunified or adopted. Much of these policies do exist, but they focus on young children while neglecting the needs of adolescents. Further, we know that young people often highlight that the support of extended family gives them a sense of security and belonging they may not feel otherwise in their ‘homes.’ In particular, low-income communities of color have long histories grounded in a culture of shared child-care, where kindship almost always extends past one’s parents or immediate guardians. Extended kin often provide young people their only safe and comfortable home, and ensure they have access to needed financial, health, housing and educational resources. They are often the only source of protection, nurture, and needed guidance that youth have. Recognizing this cultural context, there is a need to better empower extended kin in their ability to care for youth. Such empowerment can be pursued via modifications to existing safety net programs and clarification of legal rights. Extended kin who are caregivers need the legal capacity to make educational and medical decisions for the young people they care for. Specifically, with regard to the foster care system, there is need to support family-based placements for youth and provide adequate support to kin who care for youth. Another systemic barrier for young people, especially those of color, is involvement in the juvenile justice system. Disconnected from adequate caregivers and safe communities, young people of color are faced with increased interactions with law enforcement. Further, systematic injustices, such as the school to prison pipeline, continue to drive youth toward the juvenile justice system, rather than meaningful involvement in their communities. Thus, though disconnection from caregivers and families does push youth toward juvenile justice system involvements, this is greatly exacerbated by institutional biases which criminalize the very existence and behaviors of young people of color much more frequently. Rather than labeling disconnected young people as societal delinquents, there is a pressing need to pursue alternative models. These models should incorporate positive youth development principles and divert youth toward productive community engagements. Such alternatives could include explicitly prohibiting the use of probation in specific instances and allotting appropriate funds for youth serving models that promote connection and belonging.
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FOCUS AREA THREE: Connecting Youth to Safe Spaces The final focus area of this initiative is connecting youth to space spaces where they feel a sense of belonging and positive value. Racial residential segregation paired with societal divestment and heightened criminalization sustains a pattern where young people come of age without spaces that they can rely on for meaningful, protective, and forgiving interactions. All too often, the lack of safe spaces and support systems can be seen in young people facing unstable housing situations. Young adults aged 18–24 are the largest-growing segment of the homeless population. Moreover, those involved with the child welfare and justice systems, as well as young parents, experience higher risk of housing instability and homelessness. In order to address this problem, we must deliberately focus on the unique housing and community stability needs of young people. To promote long-term housing and community stability, policies must remove discriminatory barriers to employment, housing, education, and voting for those of diverse race and class backgrounds. Above all, housing must be made far more accessible and livable – laying the foundation for a safe and stable neighborhood ecosystem. In particular, existing barriers to housing and community stability are strengthened by a racialized criminal justice system that harms youth directly and precludes their future involvement in society. Tainted with criminal records at a young age, youth who have experienced the justice system face a future of recidivism rather than meaningful reintegration. Currently, far too many young people are excluded from critical employment opportunities, housing, and other essential supports that keep them connected and help divert them away from (re)-entering the justice system. There is an urgent need to push forward policies that seal and expunge criminal records in certain cases. Housing laws must be reformed so that a record doesn’t disqualify someone from housing. Further, educational institutions must enable youth to access post-secondary education and credentials, despite criminal records, to promote a path for restorative justice. Policies must bolster youth’s potential to rejoin society and thrive as engaged members, especially after experiences with the justice system. Nurturing young people with safe spaces where they are valued and belong, especially as they face a daunting developmental stage, will ensure that they flourish as young adults who can go on to sustain happier and healthier communities.
[1] https://equitablegrowth.org/the-distribution-of-wealth-in-the-united-states-and-implications-for-a-net-worth-tax/ [2] https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2020/01/09/trends-in-income-and-wealth-inequality/ [3] Smith, Kirsten P., and Nicholas A. Christakis. 2008. “Social Networks and Health.” Annual Review of Sociology 34(1):405–29.
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