2018 Annual Report
Opportunities for Youth accomplished great things in 2018! Learn more about their efforts and impact in the Greater Phoenix Area.
Opportunities for Youth accomplished great things in 2018! Learn more about their efforts and impact in the Greater Phoenix Area.
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TheOFYTeam<br />
JamesHoyt,M.A.<br />
ExecutiveDirector<br />
KristinFerguson-Colvin,Ph.D.<br />
Director-ASUCenterforHuman<br />
Capital&YouthDevelopment<br />
RobinHolis,Ed.D.<br />
BusinessEngagement<br />
Consultant<br />
KendeleBrown,M.S.<br />
Program Coordinator<br />
BelindaEscalante,MSW<br />
CommunityEngagement<br />
Coordinator<br />
FelixMoran<br />
YouthOutreachCoordinator<br />
RickyDuran,B.S.<br />
MarketingSpecialist<br />
ElizabethMody,MSW,MPA<br />
ResearchSpecialist-ASU<br />
CenterforHumanCapital&<br />
YouthDevelopment<br />
AnInitiativeof:<br />
Opportunities for Youth (OFY)is a colaborative partnership<br />
among government agencies, nonprofit organizations and<br />
employers that was launched in 2015 in response to the<br />
unfortunate emergence of Maricopa County as one of the<br />
country’smostconcentratedpopulationsofyoungpeople,aged<br />
16-24,whoarenotinschoolandnotworking.Seeingthechance<br />
toleveragetheresourcesofArizonaStateUniversitytoaddress<br />
thiscriticalissue,DeanJonathanKoppelcreatedahomeforOFY<br />
intheWatsColegeofPublicServiceandCommunitySolutionsin<br />
2017.To amplify ourability to positively impactthe livesof<br />
“opportunityyouth,”theColegeformed theCenterforHuman<br />
CapitalandYouthDevelopment(CHCYD).CHCYDisahubthrough<br />
whichfaculty,researchers,students,communitypartners,youth,<br />
and policymakers can colaborate on research,practice,and<br />
policyinitiativestosupporttheeducational,careerandlifegoals<br />
ofMaricopaCounty’sYouth.<br />
OFYworkstolowertherateofopportunityyouthintheGreater<br />
Phoenix Area by supporting the many organizations and<br />
employers working in this arena by convening partners and<br />
essentialconstituencies,facilitatingcountywidesystemschange,<br />
and connecting youth with resources and opportunities for<br />
success.Intheseroles,werelyontheactiveparticipationofyouth,<br />
serviceproviders,educationalpartnersandemployerstoinform<br />
andguideOFY’songoingeffortstodevelopsolutionsinexisting<br />
educationalandemploymentsystems.SinceOFYdoesnotdirectly<br />
serveyouth,weacknowledgethatoureffortsareonlyaseffective<br />
as they are meaningfulto youth,community partners,and<br />
employers,andsowedependontheirparticipationindeveloping<br />
thesesolutions.Wealso would liketo takethisopportunityto<br />
thankourfundersforsupportingtheOFYinitiative,andmakingit<br />
possibletomaintainourmomentum intheGreaterPhoenixArea<br />
aswelashelpingustoachieveour<strong>2018</strong>accomplishments.<br />
JamesHoyt<br />
ExecutiveDirector
InfrastructureDevelopment<br />
OFYisbuildingcapacitythroughthedevelopmentof<br />
a cross-sectoralinfrastructure,through itsLeadershipCouncilandfourActionTeams.Theworkofthe<br />
LeadershipCouncilisimperativetoprovidingstrategicvisionforandoversightoftheOFYInitiative.This<br />
includesthedevelopmentofacommonagendathat<br />
definesstrategiesforpoliticaladvocacy,community<br />
engagement,andsharedmetrics.<br />
In addition to the Leadership Council,OFY’s four<br />
Action Teams:CareerConnections,EducationalMomentum,ReengagementCenters,andYouthLeadership<br />
& Development,focuson eliminating barriers<br />
that affect youth.Supported by OFY staff,these<br />
teams are comprised of professionals and youth<br />
leadersin each ofthese areas.Theyconvene on a<br />
monthlybasistoexaminetheissuesaffectingOYand<br />
develop strategic solutions.Action Team co-chairs<br />
alsomeetbi-monthlyoutsideoftheLeadershipCounciltoidentifyandimplementoverarchingsolutionsto<br />
supportOYinreengagingineducationalandcareer<br />
pathways.<br />
Bythe end of<strong>2018</strong>,OFY increased overalpartner<br />
participationby52%,withLeadershipCouncilmembershipincreasingfrom<br />
25to32individuals,Career<br />
Connectionspartnershipsincreasingfrom 16to 32<br />
employers,EducationalMomentum partnershipsincreasingfrom<br />
19to30organizations,andReengagementCenterpartnershipsincreasingfrom<br />
12to16<br />
agencies.<br />
In addition to building capacityin ourcommunity,<br />
OFYalsohasbeenimplementingsystemschangesat<br />
theActionTeam level.Eachteam hasbeguntoidentify<br />
gapsin policiesand serviceswithin theirfocus<br />
areathathindereffectiveyouthoutcomes,andisdevelopingsolutionstoremedythoseissues.<br />
Finaly,OFYhaseffectivelydiversifiedtheinitiative’s<br />
fundingportfoliobyincreasingitsoperatingbudget<br />
from $75,224inJuly2017to$958,830bytheendof<br />
<strong>2018</strong>, with support from 11 private and public<br />
funders.<br />
LearnMoreaboutOpportunitiesforYouth<br />
www.opp4youth.org<br />
480.727.8300<br />
OpportunitiesforYouth@asu.edu<br />
OpportunitiesforYouthisaninitiativeoftheASUWatsColegeofPublicServiceand<br />
CommunitySolutions,housedintheCenterforHumanCapitalandYouthDevelopment
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