Communities Collaborating to Reconnect Youth

When
04 Mar 2010
11:00 AM
Location
Washington, DC

The Communities Collaborating to Reconnect Youth (CCRY) Network Invites You to Attend a Briefing Sponsored by Senator Debbie Stabenow in Partnership with CLASP, Campaign for Youth, First Focus, and the National Youth Employment Coalition on

Recommitting to Our Nations Youth:
Building on the Legacy of Youth Opportunity

Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 11:00 am
Senate Dirksen Building
Room 562
Washington, DC
(Lunch will be provided.)

Featured Speakers

Ilana Levinson, Legislative Assistant, Senator Debbie Stabenow (MI)
Linda Harris, Youth Policy Director, Center for Law and Social Policy

Panelists (in alphabetical order)

Ernest Dorsey, Grant Project Director, Mayor's Office of Employment Development for Baltimore City
Sharon Jackson, Alum, Baltimore Youth Opportunity Program
Jack Kresnack, President & CEO, Michigan's Children
Dr. MJ Longley, Member, Anchorage Education and Workforce Advisory Commission (Alaska)
Toyce Newton, President & CEO, Phoenix Youth and Family Services, Inc (Arkansas)
Bob Rath, President & CEO, Our Piece of the Pie Hartford Connecticut
Lorenda T. Sanchez, Executive Director, California Indian Manpower Consortium, Inc.
Special Sanders, Alum, Phoenix Youth Opportunity Movement (Arkansas)
Madeline Vasquez, Alum, Hartford Youth Opportunity Program

Initiated ten years ago on a broad scale, Youth Opportunity, a national federal grant program, supported collaborative community approaches to reaching and reconnecting youth who are disconnected from school and employment. This approach was so successful that despite the end of federal funding, communities worked to sustain the progress made. Now they have ten years of successes and experience to share insights that can inform the direction of policymaking and legislation for youth. As Congress considers various pieces of legislation that impact youth - including the Workforce Investment Act, Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Jobs Bill, RAISE UP Act and the Innovations Funds - the insights gained through these investments and community experiences should be factored into any deliberations. The briefing will highlight the successes of the Youth Opportunities program, demonstrate the legacy of the program in communities, and illustrate what is being done today as a result of those earlier federal investments. It will also serve to raise awareness of the existing gaps in youth services and the need for federal investments to support communities in reconnecting youth.

Space for this event is limited; RSVPs will be accepted on a "first-come" basis.

For more information and to register, visit:http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5728/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=18741

Contact memberservices@ytfg.org for additional information.