America's Promise Alliance

?? AI is everywhere ?? In a conversation that’s typically dominated by adults, what do young people think? Our newly published State of Young People research found that AI adoption among young people remains low—just 31% use AI at least once a week; and experiences with AI in education are inconsistent—some receive instruction, while others attend schools where AI is completely banned. ???? As AI continues to reshape the lives of our next generation, young people are actively interrogating the role it ought to play in their futures.? It’s essential that the organizations and institutions that serve all young people come together to: ?? Advocate for increased AI policy guidelines? ?? Provide direct support to teachers, schools, and young people as they navigate the influence of AI on student learning.? Read the full report to see how some nonprofits are tackling this critical work:?? https://lnkd.in/gqDERVAs?

Complete College America (CCA) is a bold national advocate for dramatically increasing?college?completion rates and closing institutional performance gaps. They do this by working with states, systems, institutions, and partners to scale highly effective structural reforms and promote policies that improve student success. ? CCA’s network of higher-ed reformers is working to reshare the?college?experience for tens of thousands of students across the country. Today, there are 53 states, systems, and consortia participating in the CCA Alliance. CCA Alliance members are graduating community?college?at 1.5 times the rate of non-Alliance members since 2015. ? Yolanda Watson Spiva, Ph.D., BCC, President of?Complete?College?America, shares: “Since 2009,?Complete?College?America (CCA) has been building movements for scaled systemic change and transforming institutions. Together, our committed network of unapologetic reformers is working to pair bold, innovative thinking with practical actions that?colleges and policymakers can implement across every level of higher education.”? ? Please join us in welcoming, Dr. Yolanda Watson Spiva and the CCA team! Learn more about CCA's work in their new?2025-2027 Strategic Plan, which outlines their theory of change and plan to set a renewed public agenda for?college?completion, as well as designing structures and solutions for innovation at scale across higher education: https://lnkd.in/ekdijw57

Beginning with Children was founded more than three decades ago on the deep belief in the power of education to transform a child, a family and a community. Beginning with Children services support students from historically under-resourced communities in Brooklyn, providing youth with the knowledge, skills, and experiences to reach back into their communities and create change for the next generation of learners. What started in 1990 as a single groundbreaking public-private school collaboration in Williamsburg, Brooklyn has now expanded into a thriving network of two K-8 schools, a high school, and the Legacy Network, which supports students and alumni on their journeys to college and careers. With a focus on strategic initiatives and innovation, Beginning with Children has recently launched two new programs: the Board Leaders Fellowship, which is a training program empowering alumni of BwC schools and programs to become board leaders, and a community arts initiative, allowing Beginning with Children to maximize its impact in the broader Brooklyn community. At each stage, Beginning with Children programs equip students with the skills, experiences, and confidence needed to lead choice-filled lives. By transforming educational and career outcomes for children, Beginning with Children seeks to break the enduring cycle of poverty. “Our name is synonymous with the services we provide in the communities we serve. Beginning with children guides the work we do every day, and the affirmation of our approach is clear in the continuity of our success,” says CEO, Nancy Lewson Kurz. Since inception, Beginning with Children has served 4,500+ students through educational programs and 2,000+ students through college and career readiness programs. In 2024, Beginning with Children was honored to receive a $1 million gift from the Yield Giving Open Call, managed by Lever for Change, recognizing Beginning with Children’s work in historically under-resourced communities and commitment to creating pathways for educational and economic mobility. CEO and Chairman, Nancy Lewson Kurz, shares: "We are honored and excited to join America’s Promise Alliance. Through this partnership, we look forward to collaborating with fellow changemakers to create stronger, more inclusive communities where all young people can thrive." Please join us in welcoming Nancy and the Beginning with Children team to America’s Promise Alliance!?Learn more about their work at https://lnkd.in/eK2Z6WDg

Congratulations to the Alliance Chiefs of Staff and Partnerships Cohort #1, who recently completed this two-year programming experience! This cohort brought together top chiefs of staff and partnerships leaders in the sector on a monthly basis to give and get real-time advice on the toughest challenges they’ve faced in their work and the most important things they’re trying to get done as leaders. While this formal programming has concluded, the deep relationships, radical support, and collaborative spirit among leaders will continue. Cheers to these extraordinary leaders and the impact they’re having within their orgs and across the sector! It’s a privilege to support your work. Hear more about this cohort’s experience from Dr. Tiffany Grant: https://hubs.la/Q039YvhV0 Dariana Castro Dr. Tiffany Grant David Soo Jordan Wesley, MSW Tim Wills #NonprofitLeadership #ExecutiveLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment

Congratulations, Ricardo Neal, we're grateful to have you in the Alliance.

The?Center for Teen Empowerment, Inc. ’s mission is to employ, train, and empower youth to, in collaboration with adults, create peace, equity, and justice. Operating in Boston and Somerville, MA, as well as Rochester, NY, they envision a world in which youth with adults, in mutually respectful and supportive relationships, use their voices creatively to inspire, lead, and empower their communities to achieve justice and peace. ? Teen?Empowerment?(TE) employs and trains youth ages 14-19 to plan and carry out neighborhood-based youth organizing initiatives that promote peace, equity, and justice. Through group facilitation, the arts, and collaboration with community members and leaders, TE supports youth as they process their experiences, heal from trauma, and then use their experiences as a platform to change the community for the better. TE’s Visions for the Future program?provides mentoring, emotional support, and job training to support young adults (16-25) returning home from incarceration. Last year, the org was awarded a $2 million grant as a part of the Yield Giving Open Call. ? TE’s dedicated teams of youth organizers, at and across all locations, work throughout the year to identify pressing issues and develop strategies to address them. Together, they implement initiatives that engage a large number of their peers and community adults.?With annual employment of more than 110 youth leaders, today, TE has mobilized over 6,000 individuals to participate in community change initiatives and provides consulting and training services to assist other service providers in adopting their effective methods. ? CEO, Abrigal Forrester shares: "At?Teen?Empowerment, we give young people the space to unpack the daily challenges they face and to create strategies to promote meaningful, positive, social change alongside their peers and adults. We are excited to join this Alliance of like-minded organizations dedicated to collective action toward a more just and equitable society." ? Please join us in welcoming Abrigal and the?Teen?Empowerment?team! Learn more about their work at?www.TeenEmpowerment.org

Meet Rosie M., who recently joined the America's Promise Alliance (APA) team as our new Vice President of Development. Rosie is a nonprofit executive and strategist with nearly two decades of experience driving transformational change in education and supporting local systems change. Most recently, Rosie led a fundraising and content development team at Teach For America, working in the K-12 space to build partnerships with national funders and generate compelling content and stories. Rosie is also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Rosie shares: "As a first-generation college graduate and daughter of immigrants, I have personally experienced how access to quality education and expanded opportunities can transform lives. Growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y. I witnessed the challenges systemic barriers impose on young people. These experiences have fueled my commitment to dismantling these obstacles and ensuring that all youth have the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. Joining America's Promise Alliance brings joy and excitement as I continue to expand opportunities for young people. I am inspired by the work of APA and how we are building and co-creating spaces that, as a collective, will help gather and support the key issues impacting young people today. In my role, I am dedicated to leveraging my experience to build strategic partnerships and secure the necessary resources to advance APA's mission, ensuring that every young person has the opportunity to rise above their circumstances to achieve their goals and dreams." Please join us in welcoming Rosie to the APA team! https://bit.ly/4hdlWSO

The Civics Center is on a mission to make voter registration part of every high school in America. Their innovative research model reveals that it takes years and decades for young people to engage with voting at parity with older Americans: 4-5+ million 18- and 19-year-olds remain disenfranchised cycle after cycle, because current systems fail to reach up-and-coming voters. But every American passes through high school, and virtually all of them are there and eligible to preregister to vote BEFORE they turn 18. The brainchild of Laura Brill, award-winning attorney and former law clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, The Civics Center is building the field of high school voter registration, ensuring EVERY American is given the education and practical tools to understand, engage with, and strengthen our democracy. Since their founding in 2018, The Civics Center has developed and tested the model of student-led and adult-supported voter registration drives held in high schools, training thousands of students and educators across 35 states and D.C. Additionally, they developed a research and data model, to reveal registration rates at the hyper-local level, in order to inform, motivate, and provide accountability. They publish free, state-specific toolkits for educators to support students and sustain the program in high schools year after year. When 27,000+ high schools across the US take ownership of voter registration activities twice a year, every year, it will strengthen communities by fostering authentic connections and providing a bulwark against authoritarianism and misinformation. High school voter registration has the capacity to achieve population-level impact for the country as a whole; a path to universal voter registration; and a larger, more representative electorate, bringing our country closer to a healthy democracy and “We The People.” The Civics Center Founder and CEO, Laura Brill, shares with APA: "The Civics Center's mission is to make voter registration a standard part of every high school in America. As an organization dedicated to supporting educators and students, we see America's Promise Alliance as a valuable resource and an exciting community in which to participate." Please join us in welcoming Laura and her team! Learn more about their work at: ?? www.TheCivicsCenter.org ?? https://lnkd.in/euhdgKc8? ?? https://lnkd.in/e44hUjiJ? ?? https://lnkd.in/ervXNCkw?

Leading Educators (LE) partners with school systems to sustain the teaching, leadership, and conditions for every student to succeed in school and in life.? ? LE was founded in?New?Orleans in 2011 after the disruptions of Hurricane Katrina, with the goal of expanding opportunities for educators at all stages of their careers, so that they may grow as professionals and collaborate more intentionally to improve student achievement across schools. Fourteen years later, this central charge has led to dozens of systemic partnerships with public school districts and states nationwide that are accomplishing meaningful outcomes for more than 211,000 students per year.? ? Today, LE works to reinforce visionary leadership and develop excellent real-world teaching in every classroom, so every student has the opportunity to be ready for a changing future. Focusing on college and career readiness standards, in-demand skills, and the collaborative problem-solving necessary for a healthy democracy, LE provides targeted solutions to persistent instructional challenges at the intersection of teaching, talent, and technology. ? Last year, LE provided direct support to around 1,030 leaders, influencing 13,000 educators across 379 schools. Their work has led to significant improvements in teaching quality, student engagement, and proficiency in math and literacy, including one of only two Tier 1-rated studies of teacher professional development accepted by the What Works Clearinghouse in the last decade. ? Leading Educators CEO,?Chong-Hao Fu,?shares: "This is an important moment to focus on what all students deserve, rooted in evidence of what works. In joining the Alliance, we are eager to further the systemic work necessary to prepare all of America's young people for brighter futures in a rapidly changing world." ? Please join us in welcoming Chong-Hao and the LE team! Learn more about their work at?www.LeadingEducators.org. ?

Just Released: Inaugural State of Young People Report At a time when young people in the U.S. are experiencing historically high levels of stress, social divisiveness, and civic upheaval, the State of Young People research initiative surveyed more than 1,500 young people across the country to better understand their experiences with—and proposed solutions to—these generation-defining challenges. Our findings reinforce and bring deeper insight to what the youth-serving field has been observing for some time—more than a third of young people aren’t thriving, approximately 7 in 10 feel that the nation is more divided than ever, and just 1 in 5 believe society is headed toward a better future. By conducting youth-centered research and engaging directly with young people to inform a conversation that’s typically dominated by adults, we also see that amid unprecedented stress and uncertainty, young people have an eye toward progress, and are putting forward concrete, workable solutions to improve the world around them and shape a brighter future for themselves and others. ?? At a time when many narratives suggest young people are turning their attention away from the political process, among those we surveyed, 9 in 10 young people believe that everyone should have access to civic education ?? And although more than half of young people report struggling with their mental health, 3 in 4 believe that seeking help from others can help address emotional problems, more than two thirds (69%) feel they can use their knowledge and experience to help others with emotional difficulties, and 81% recommend that schools and community-based organizations expand individual counseling services, with interest in increasing education, outreach, peer-led groups as well. Learn more about the State of Young People report at https://lnkd.in/gqDERVAs