The objective of the Youth Pathways to Success impact area is to increase the number of youth who progress in their education and secure meaningful employment. Our priority strategies include:
Cradle-to-Career Alignment
Goal: Better align P-16 education systems, out-of-school time programs, community and family supports, and employers.
We have a particular focus on efforts that improve student persistence and success, strengthen the capacity of the community college system, and better connect high schools, post-secondary institutions, and employers at a regional and statewide level.
Post-Secondary Access and Success
Goal: Ensure youth are able to gain admission to, attend, and complete higher education ready to enter a meaningful career.
We have a particular focus on efforts that improve academic and personal readiness for post-secondary education (two-year, four-year, and vocational-technical), provide admissions and financial aid counseling, and improve post-secondary affordability.
Youth Development
Goal: Enable youth, particularly vulnerable youth, to access the programs and services they need to be prepared for academic, personal, and professional success.
We have a particular focus on efforts that improve the quality, capacity, coordination, and reach of the out-of-school time sector.
Our Work in Action
Current & Special Initiatives
From time to time, the foundation develops targeted grant programs and special initiatives to address specific areas of need. The foundation’s current Youth Pathways to Success initiatives include:
Youth Initiative
The goal of this initiative is to ensure youth, particularly vulnerable youth, have access to high-quality out-of-school time opportunities. The three components of the initiative include:
1. Capacity-building support for out-of-school time providers and intermediary organizations to improve their quality, capacity, coordination and reach.
2. Providing youth participants of out-of-school time programs with science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) experiences. In 2019, approximately 1,300 youth at 26 agency/school sites participated in these experiences.
3. Providing youth participants at 45 out-of-school time program sites with engaging and fun summer field trips in areas such as the arts, history, science, recreation, etc. In 2019, over 19,600 experiences were provided to youth through 759 field trips to 61 host sites.
For out-of-school time agencies who would like additional information, or host destinations who are interested in partnering with us, please contact Pat Thraen.