Disconnected No More: A Three-Part Series
Launched in October 2010, this CLASP series brings together advocates and leaders from local youth development systems in six communities to discuss how advocates, administrators, youth practitioners, and other community leaders can partner to create pathways to economic success for young men of color.
About the Series
In communities across the country, advocates and practitioners help young men of color accomplish remarkable transformations. They understand the unique challenges and needs of these youth. A partnership between youth delivery systems, local practitioners and advocates can open doors to new approaches for providing comprehensive services that will put young males of color on a path to success. This series provides an opportunity for peer-to-peer sharing and dialogue on upcoming legislative opportunities to meet the educational and employment needs of young people.
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Convening 1 | Advocates from Local Communities
Session Objectives:
- Increase their knowledge and understanding of national discussions on issues of disconnected youth, with a specific focus on males of color
- Learn more about windows of opportunity in federal policy to create and fund approaches to create a pipeline for disconnected young men of color
- Talk about the role that local leaders and advocates can play to bring strategic attention to addressing the circumstances of young men of color who are out of school and out of work
- Discuss data use to drive a discussion about the need to have a particular focus on disconnected young men of color
Convening 2 | Local Advocates and Youth Service System Partners
Session Objectives:
- Discuss the dimensions of the disconnected youth challenge in the participating communities with a focus on young men of color
- Identify local opportunities and struggles in serving disconnected youth of color under current systems and programs
- Update the group on windows of opportunity in federal policy and federal funding streams that support the creation of opportunities to serve disconnected youth
- Begin a discussion on how, given opportunities in federal funding streams, services and supports to disconnected young men of color can be transformed and expanded
- Facilitate dialogue within and among community teams on ways they can come together to advance the creation of pathways for young men of color, drawing from recommendations in the 2025 Campaign document, We Dream A World
- Provide community-specific data profiles and discuss how this data can support local advocacy and decision-making
Convening 3 | Local Advocates and Youth Service System Partners
Session Objectives:
- Update on federal policies that create opportunities to serve disconnected youth
- Hear from communities about what progress they've made in planning, and what funding opportunities they are pursuing to implement their work
- Discuss the feasibility and desire for ongoing interaction among participants, and solicit ideas for how to best facilitate that interaction