2023 – March Newsletter

NEARLY 150 LEADERS CONVENED TO DRIVE FUTURE READY NORTH STAR​

On January 11, 2023, nearly 150 executives and senior leaders from 75 partners came together at the Future Ready Leadership Table event to provide strategy and drive forward the work of our  community Future Ready Bexar County Plan. 

The Future Ready Leadership Table oversees progress of this plan as we strive to reach our collective North Star goal of increasing enrollment of Bexar County’s High School graduates to 70% by 2030 – a goal that can be accomplished if an additional 5,000 students from our community enroll into a postsecondary or credential program.

During workgroup breakout sessions, leaders from pre-K12 and higher education met to align shared messaging strategies and commitments for the class of 2030, youth development leaders discussed ensuring access to quality programs for all young people and a group of fundraising and corporate executives met to discuss better alignment of investment within our community. 

Prior to these breakout work sessions, the world-renowned educational organization Harlem’s Children’s Zone (HCZ) President, Geoffrey Canada, joined Mayor Ron Nirenberg in addressing these leaders in a plenary session. 

Canada was in San Antonio alongside HCZ CEO Kwame Owusu-Kesse and a a delegation of eight representatives on a two-day excursion where they met with and shared next practices with Future Ready Partners such as East Central ISD, the Alamo Colleges District, Corporate Partners for Racial Equity and Communities in Schools- San Antonio. 

Data Point

48%

Postsecondary enrollment rate for Bexar County African American high school graduates from the Class of 2020.

This is 2% higher than the state average.

Meet UP Partnership’s K12 and Justice Team​

UP Partnership’s K12 and Justice team works with community partners through the My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio (MBKSA) network and the Restorative Practices Collaborative (RPC) to scale healing, restorative practices and programming for boys and young men of color. The team consists of John Jacobs “JJ”, Director of K12 and Justice, Suzette Solorzano, Senior Manager of Coaching and Facilitation, and Tyler Radwin, Manager of Community Engagement. Read more about them here.

Restorative Practices Collaborative Cohort 3 Kicks off

On January 19, cohort 3 of the Restorative Practices Collaborative (RPC) kicked-off at the Victory Center at San Antonio College. Subsequently, the cohort will meet eight times, including the February session that was held at San Antonio Independent School District’s office. RPC works to move Bexar County’s K12 and Justice ecosystems from a punitive to a restorative paradigm, as well as broadening the pathways to postsecondary success for justice-involved youth, opportunity youth and foster youth.

Cohort 3 has approximately 55 participants, the largest cohort of RPC to date, from East Central ISD, Judson ISD, Harlandale ISD and San Antonio ISD. One of the current cohort participants has immediately applied what they have learned and has since credited these practices with causing a “complete turn around in the classroom,” citing dramatic changes in behavior, improved classroom engagement, and improved test scores.

The work being done by this collaborative was recently also highlighted at a national Department of Justice conference and the work by Future Ready partners Empower House and San Antonio ISD’s Rhodes Elementary was recently featured in this article. 

UP Partnership joins forces with Search Institute, a national research organization, to augment Excel Academy work

In February, UP Partnership announced its partnership with Search Institute, a Minnesota-based positive youth development and equity-focused organization, to collaboratively expand the framework of Excel Academy to a national scale. Through a $1.6 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation, a new three-year framework that helps organizations to cultivate relationships – and character-rich climates has been developed and piloted with the latest cohort of the leadership program that started last September. For those interested in further developing their developmental relationship leadership skills, stay tuned soon for the upcoming Excel Academy application cycle.

Future Ready Joint Leadership Table

Cross-sector leaders and youth leaders representing them came together at Family Services Association’s The Neighborhood Place to continue to drive forward the Future Ready Bexar County Plan’s impact in an intragenerational manner. The table discussed action commitments per organization and underwent training over two of the developmental relationship elements: expressing care and sharing power. Contact UP Partnership Chief Impact and Strategy Officer, Emily Calderón Galdeano, at emily@uppartnership.org for more information.

Legacy Leadership Initiative brings mental health strategies to the community

In partnership with Communities in Schools San Antonio, The Ecumenical Center, and District 3 Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran, UP Partnership convened 15 young people and their parents to discuss mental health, coping strategies and community resources. It was a powerful event that ended with a drumming circle and a reflection on the day’s learnings. Learn more about the Legacy Leadership Initiative here.

Request for Presenters:
Future Ready Practitioner Conference on May 22

UP Partnership is looking for presenters for the Future Ready Practitioner Conference on May 22 at St. Mary’s University. The theme is Relationships are The Work, and focuses on aspects of Developmental Relationships. For some examples of focus areas please check out the link here. Proposals are due by March 24th, 2023 and can be submitted here. Contact UP Partnership Senior Manager of Community Engagement, Jonathan Weaver, at jonathan@uppartnership.org for more information on the event.  

New Horizons and Opportunities Grant Request for Proposals

Through support from the San Antonio Area Foundation made possible by Corporate Partners for Racial Equity (CPRE), UP Partnership has released a grant application specifically aimed toward providing campus-based restorative justice training and capacity building for school districts and their alternative schools. For more information contact, John Jacobs, Director of K12 and Justice, at john@uppartnership.org. 

Communications Council on May 11 

UP Partnership’s Future Ready Communications Council meeting for cross-sector communications and marketing representatives will meet on May 11 At the last meeting, Council members discussed the various actions organizations are taking to create more opportunities for postsecondary enrollment for Bexar County’s students. Contact UP Partnership Director of Communications, Jeannette Garcia, at jeannette@uppartnership.org for more information.

Is your institution an official Future Ready partner yet?

It’s not too late to become a partner in the Future Ready Bexar County community-wide strategic plan. Please email UP Partnership CEO, Ryan Lugalia-Hollon, at ryan@uppartnership.org to join the more than 75 institutions that have already signed on to ensure Bexar County’s young peoples are future ready!

 

Youth voices needed for city-wide mental health survey

Future Ready partner City of San Antonio have launched the second annual SASpeakUp survey focusing on teen mental health for young people between the ages of 12 and 19. The survey will be available for responses through April 9, 2023, at SASpeakUp.com/TeenHealth.

Working together to bring Restorative Practices to Bexar County schools

Working together to bring Restorative Practices to Bexar County Schools

Founded by the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation, American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions (AIT-SCM) works to preserve and protect Indigenous cultures and traditions. One of those traditions that has gained popularity in recent years is restorative practices which are deeply rooted in healing — healing of an individual, healing in relationships and healing in communities.

Unlike punitive means of punishment that disproportionately impact students of color, restorative practices works to foster support and care in school communities. A long time community partner, AIT-SCM works directly with My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio — an UP Partnership network that works on removing systemic barriers to safety, education and career success for boys and young men of color — to deliver Community Building Circles to school districts such as Judson ISD and San Antonio ISD.

As AIT-SCM’s former Director of Development Karla Aguilar explains, “while the language of restorative justice is contemporary, the foundation of it is always seeking restoration and renewal to find the well-being of community.”

The AIT-SCM Institute includes restorative justice experts to train and advise community members in restorative justice programming, training and implementation. They teach the complicated process that starts with pain and anger, to address the root causes of the problem. Restorative justice validates lived trauma, while allowing young people to have a voice in the process. They provide tools to resolve conflicts in a positive manner.

An example of this vital work can be seen in AIT-SCM’s strong relationship with Harlandale Alternative Center, a school located within Harlandale ISD which works with opportunity youth to instill confidence and self-worth to ensure students are quality learners and contributing members of society. AIT-SCM provides continued support to the students in the Center as they work to return to their home campuses. The work seeks to lower the rate that students will reoffend when they return to their home campus, which can reduce the possibility of dropping out, disconnection and/or prison. This partnership came about through Harlandale Alternative Center’s principal Andrew Dominguez reaching out to the AIT-SCM directly. 

AIT-SCM also works with students outside of the classroom through The Solution Project, which was established with the help of young people who sought to continue their connection with the organization through ongoing mentorship and support systems. Based on the knowledge that there are many problems in our communities, The Solution Project gives young people a voice in the potential solutions to those ongoing issues. 

“[Restorative Justice] is vital because the poorest school districts in San Antonio are set up to be the ones that hemorrhage young people into the criminal justice system because they are so drastically under-sourced,” Aguilar said. “Restorative justice is cost-effective, viable solution that improves the lives of all those on campus and gives families the tools to be able to unpack the pain they live in on a regular basis.”

The work that AIT-SCM does is heavily rooted in the Future Ready Bexar County Plan, an action-focused strategic plan that brings together cross-sector community partners who are invested in reaching the plan’s collective North Star goal – to increase the percentage of Bexar County High School graduates enrolling in postsecondary degree or credential programs to 70% by 2030. In Bexar County, the number is currently around 50%. The work that AIT-SCM aligns with the healing equity pillar, which is one of the three Future Ready equity pillars alongside access and voice – the must HAVEs for equity among Bexar County’s young people.

If your organization is ready to join in on the Future Ready movement or the Restorative Practices Collaborative, please contact admin@uppartnership.org to find out more information on how you can become a Future Ready partner or donate to the work here.You can also follow our progress by signing up for our newsletter and following us on social media. 

To learn more about AIT-SCM and support the work they are doing, you can visit www.aitscm.org. 

Organizations join forces to create a national standard for a leadership program geared toward youth-serving professionals

Organizations join forces to create a national standard for a leadership program geared toward youth-serving professionals

UP Partnership’s leadership program for youth-serving professionals sets the standard using Search Institute’s Developmental Relationships Framework

UP Partnership, a San Antonio-based collective impact organization, and Search Institute, a Minnesota-based positive youth development and equity-focused research organization, are collaborating to create a national standard for a leadership development program. This program is specifically geared toward augmenting youth-serving professionals’ ability to better connect and build transformative relationships with those they serve, which in turn helps young people develop character virtues, such as generosity, self-control, civility, respect, humility, purpose, and curiosity.

Since 2019, UP Partnership has led Excel Academy, a leadership program rooted in racial equity, continuous improvement, adaptive leadership, and Search Institute’s Developmental Relationships Framework. The core of Search Institute’s Framework is based on five elements vital to transformative relationships between youth-serving professionals and young people: expressing care, challenging growth, providing support, sharing power and expanding possibilities. Excel Academy participants are invited to engage in learning around these five elements through a racial equity lens. These elements are important for professionals to utilize in helping young people succeed while also focusing on equity.

“Developmental relationships are close connections through which young people discover who they are, cultivate abilities to shape their own lives, and learn how to engage with and contribute to the world around them. Our Developmental Relationships Framework guides youth-serving professionals toward creating meaningful relationships with young people and providing the support and encouragement they need to thrive,” says Search Institute CEO, Ben Houltberg.

Search Institute and UP Partnership have worked together for several years on various projects. In the spring of 2022, both organizations saw an opportunity to scale up Excel Academy through a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. Through a $1.6 million investment, Search Institute and UP Partnership are currently creating the framework to further expand Excel Academy to a national scale through a new three-year framework that helps organizations to cultivate relationship- and character-rich climates.

“Through Excel Academy more than 75 youth serving professionals in over 26 youth-serving organizations in Bexar County have been impacted through the program, to-date. We are bringing together two professionals each from selected youth-serving organizations – one senior level, one frontline staffer. Having both perspectives at the table is vitally important to ensure diverse voices are heard,” said Emily Calderón Galdeano, UP Partnership’s Chief Strategy and Impact Officer. “The reach that both have to attain feedback from their teams and students inform how the participants create and continually improve their organizational work plans.”

Together senior-level and frontline staff members will co-create an organizational improvement plan that will help them implement changes based on the content covered in the sessions. Frontline and senior-level staff also receive individualized coaching from UP Partnership staff, and training from Search Institute, Quantum Possibilities, and UP Partnership facilitators.

Miray Seward is Search Institute’s Research Scientist and primary researcher for this pilot. The primary lead of Excel Academy at UP Partnership is Senior Manager of K12 and Youth Development Shelby Drayton.

A total of 23 organizations received a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. To learn more about this grant and read more about the other awardees you can click here.

About Search Institute
Search Institute is a nonprofit organization with a sixty-plus-year history of collaboration with youth-serving organizations to conduct and apply research that promotes positive youth development and advances equity. Our tools build connections that help all young people learn and grow.

About UP Partnership
Founded in 2009, UP Partnership is a San Antonio-based nonprofit that convenes partners in Bexar County that provide healing, access, and voice to local youth to create equitable systems and ensure that all young people in the county are ready for the future. Its work is conducted through collaborative efforts with its partners that focus on education and youth development initiatives and have signed on to a community-wide strategic plan called Future Ready Bexar County or its networks of My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio, Diplomás, and Excel Beyond the Bell. UP Partnership has 130 local partners and 500 volunteer leaders across seven sectors including: early childhood, preK12, postsecondary education, youth development, workforce, justice, funders, corporate partners and local government.

UP Partnership’s social media accounts for systems change networks are moving

UP Partnership’s social media accounts for systems change networks are moving

Big news: Social media accounts for UP Partnership’s systems change networks Diplomás, Excel Beyond the Bell San Antonio and My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio are moving! In January 2023, you can find out more about network news, happenings and updates by following UP Partnership on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn using the handle @UPPartnershipSA.

This move comes as network structures and priorities are shifting toward the Future Ready Bexar County’s Plan’s collective North Star goal to increase the percentage of Bexar County’s High School graduates enrolling in postsecondary degree or credential training to 70% by 2030. While the ongoing work of our systems change networks has an independent purpose, their operations are now highly braided under UP Partnership as the backbone organization.

Our Tomorrow’s Instagram page will also be renamed to UP Partnership Youth Voice.

We look forward to continuing to provide you with our latest network and future ready news through the UP Partnership brand.

2022 Year in Review – Newsletter

To all of our partners, a sincere thank you for your collaborative work in making 2022 a successful year!

In 2022, UP Partnership launched the Future Ready Bexar County Plan with a goal of getting at least 70% of our community’s high school graduates enrolled in a degree or credential program by 2030 from the current 50% enrollment rate. Those who earn an associate degree typically make $400,000 more over the course of their lives, and those who earn a bachelor’s degree typically make $1.2 million more than those with a high school diploma.

Making sure that all of our young people are future-ready is our entire community’s responsibility. UP Partnership works with partner organizations like you so more young people can access higher-quality, more inclusive programming and support.

JANUARY

  • Starting in January, we used 2022 to build a more unified movement across our partnership. The Future Ready Bexar County plan is now a shared framework for all interested child- and youth-serving institutions in our community. Our systems change networks – Diplomás, Excel Beyond the Bell San Antonio, My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio and Our Tomorrow – are key anchors for this plan’s implementation.

  • Advanced by a committee of young people, UP Partnership was able to give eleven youth-led groups from Southwest, East Central, San Antonio Independent School Districts, and the Center for Young Minds grants worth a total of $43,000. These grants, awarded in December 2021, support youth-initiated and youth-led projects across the districts.

FEBRUARY

  • A combined $25 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds were allocated by the City of San Antonio to child and youth-serving organizations in the fall of 2022. Advocacy by UP Partnership’s Excel Beyond the Bell Network throughout 2021 culminated with an initial $10 million in ARPA funds budgeted for youth-serving organizations in February, with an additional $15 million allocated toward young people’s mental health in September.

MARCH

  • My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio honored 67 high school boys and young men of color as scholarship recipients. The event celebrated the scholars and provided valuable professional development opportunities for our partners and network teams.

APRIL

  • Nearly 100 community leaders, including executives and staff of major youth-serving institutions across Bexar County, gathered on the steps of City Hall to launch the Future Ready Bexar County plan, a countywide collective alignment plan that aims to reduce historical systemic inequities. You can see the action commitments of each of the 72 Future Ready partners here.

MAY

  • The annual Excel Beyond the Bell San Antonio Summit was held with the theme of “We’re All in This Together: Focusing on Healing, Resilience, and Racial Equity.” More than 160 youth development professionals attended from nearly 40 institutions to learn best practices from EBBSA community organizations.

  • The third annual Growing UP in San Antonio (GUISA) conference was held virtually. GUISA connected practitioners and community members in discussing how we can support Dreamers, Latinx students, boys, and young men of color on the path to postsecondary success.

JUNE

  • In past iterations, Excel Academy participants have received training from national research organization Search Institute on Developmental Relationships, while UP Partnership provided coaching and continuous improvement training and Quantum Possibilities provided racial equity training. In June, Search Institute asked UP Partnership to deepen our relationship by elevating our Excel Academy as a model community practice. As a result, the two organizations have started a multi-year pilot to further expand Excel Academy’s model through funding for the John Templeton Foundation.

JULY

  • UP Partnership virtually convened more than 150 senior leaders of institutions for the inaugural Future Ready Leadership table. Together, we highlighted projects that are already having an impact on Bexar County students and in reaching our North Star of 70% postsecondary enrollment by 2030. The Future Ready Leadership Table will next meet in January 2023.

AUGUST

  • Partners from Diplomás and My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio convened at Weathered Souls Brewing Company to honor their network chairs for their hard work and dedication.

  • As part of the Future Ready Bexar County plan’s aligned communications strategy, UP Partnership launched the newly designed Communications Council. This Council brings together leadership and communication professionals to share best practices, stories of success, and new opportunities as they relate to healing, access, and voice, the must-have equity pillars for young people in Bexar County.

SEPTEMBER

  • Excel Beyond the Bell San Antonio held its annual CEO Roundtable Retreat to connect and renew relationships as they push to provide high-quality youth development programs for San Antonio’s young people.

  • UP Partnership hosted the My Brother’s Keeper Texas Statewide Summit with more than 100 individuals from Austin, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio to propel the mission of My Brother’s Keeper forward as a statewide coalition.

  • UP Partnership staff traveled to Chicago for the 2022 StriveTogether’s Cradle to Career Network Convening, where we joined with partners from across the United States to network, learn and collaborate with those doing the same good work. The lessons learned throughout the convening will help us fine-tune promising practices as we continue to serve as the backbone of the Future Ready Bexar County plan.

OCTOBER

  • UP Partnership cannot do our work as a backbone organization without the generosity of those that fund our work. These funders have continued their investment, including 3M, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Blue Meridian Partners, Charles Butt Foundation, City of San Antonio’s Department of Human Services, Educate Texas, a public-private initiative of Communities Foundation of Texas, Enterprise Holdings Foundation, Corporate Partners for Racial Equity, National Post-Secondary Institute, San Antonio Area Foundation, StriveTogether, and USAA.

NOVEMBER

  • My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio and Diplomás networks brought together nearly 400 juniors and seniors from partnering school districts for the inaugural Future Ready Youth Summit that took place at Northeast Lakeview College. Programming focused on providing college and career planning and support to students in attendance, many of whom identified as boys and young men of color, Dreamers, and/or Latinx.

  • UP Partnership staff members traveled with Restorative Practices Collaborative representatives from Judson ISD, Harlandale ISD, and San Antonio ISD to Oakland, CA, to observe and learn the next practices from successful restorative justice programs in that area to replicate in Bexar County schools. The Restorative Practices Collaborative is currently operating in these three districts with plans to expand in the upcoming year.

  • UP Partnership launched the inaugural Future Ready Joint Leadership Table, where the majority of our 71 institutional partners came together to build cross-agency connections that will support the advancement of healing, access, and voice for the Future Ready Bexar County Plan.

  • To honor the leaders of our Excel Beyond the Bell network, UP Partnership hosted a youth Development Appreciation Dinner on November 1 at Pedrotti’s Ranch.

DECEMBER

  • At the end of 2021, UP Partnership was named one of the six implementation partners by Corporate Partners for Racial Equity to support My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio and its justice work. Working closely with the San Antonio Area Foundation, two rounds of grants were made through this fund in 2022. The first grant was used to strengthen our Restorative Practices Collaborative by funding six long-standing community organizations to grow local school districts’ healing capacity An additional grant was made to help justice-involved young people attain internships and re-enter the workforce.

  • In conjunction with Say Sí, we invited diverse young artists from local high schools, grades 9 – 12, to submit artwork to the “We Are Now” 2022 Exhibit with artwork ranging across many platforms, including film, painting, sculpture, music, dance, and theater. The exhibit will occur in mid-December.

Future Ready postsecondary partners provide and assist for local high school juniors’ and seniors’ post-high school graduation plans during inaugural event

Future Ready Postsecondary Partners Provide and Assist for Local High School Juniors’ and Seniors’ Post-high school graduation plans during Inaugural Event

On Nov. 3 and 4, two of UP Partnership’s networks, My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio and Diplomás, hosted the inaugural Future Ready Bexar County Youth Summit which brought together approximately 400 students from East Central, Harlandale, San Antonio and Southwest Independent School Districts at Northeast Lakeview College. Programming at the summit focused on providing college and career planning support to students in attendance, many of whom identified as boys and young men of color, Dreamers and/or Latinx.

“It is UP Partnership’s belief that young people will be future ready when they feel supported to enroll, attend and succeed in postsecondary programs that lead to living wage careers,” UP Partnership’s Chief Impact and Strategy Officer Emily Galdeano Calderon, Ed.D., said

“ With the support and partnership of our Future Ready partners made up of leaders from local school districts, colleges and out-of-school time organizations, we were able to provide targeted workshops on topics such as the college admissions process, financial aid, college life and support services, as well as better support on how these students can choose their career and future degrees after graduation,” she added.

In addition to those workshops, the students listened to inspiring stores from our keynote speakers that included Rebecca Alejos, Certified Advisor of High School Programs at Northeast Lakeview College; Michael Brooks, Founder of History in the Making, LLC; Brand Crooms, motivational speaker and visiting assistant professor at Trinity University; Tangila Dove, Vice President of Student Services at Northeast Lakeview College; Warren Hurd, Vice President of College Services at Northeast Lakeview College; and Ryan Lugalia-Hollon, Ph.D., CEO of UP Partnership, as well as had a fun visit from mascots such as the San Antonio Spurs Coyote, San Antonio College’s Ace the Armadillo and the host campus’s mascot Nico the Nighthawk.

Providing access to information and resources about college readiness and the college admissions process aligns with UP Partnership’s Future Ready Bexar County Plan which launched in April. This community-wide plan brings together more than 70 partners working toward the plan’s collective North Star goal – to increase the percentage of Bexar County’s High School graduates enrolling in postsecondary degrees or credential programs to 70% by 2030. In Bexar County, that number is currently around 50%. This plan focuses on the three equity pillars of Healing, Access and Voice — the must HAVEs for Equity amongst Bexar County’s young people.

If your organization is ready to join in on the Future Ready movement or the Restorative Practices Collaborative, please contact admin@uppartnership.org to find out more information on how you can become a Future Ready partner or donate to the work here. You can also follow our progress by signing up for our newsletter and following us on social media. 

Restorative Justice: Its impact on our schools and disciplinary practices

Restorative Justice: Its impact on our schools and disciplinary practices

The Indigenous practice of restorative justice has been gaining momentum in school districts as an alternative to traditional, punitive forms of discipline such as suspensions and expulsions. Zero-tolerance punishments tend to be disproportionate for boys and young men of color, as well as contributing to the school-to-prison pipeline.

Unlike zero-tolerance forms of punishment, restorative justice focuses on healing the harm that has been done, learning social skills to avoid future conflict and to reintegrate the offender back into the school community. As Jeff Price, Principal of Taffola Middle School, explains, “Restorative [Justice] is not no discipline. When that consequence is done, we welcome them back and discuss what happened, what we could have done differently, what was your role in it and what are we going to do going forward.”

Working with longstanding community partners, Restorative Justice has been implemented in local school districts like Harlandale ISD, Judson ISD and San Antonio ISD. The benefits of Restorative Justice in these school districts have been tangible and noticeable. Change can be seen in everyone – students, teachers and administrators – as they embrace restorative practices in school. School communities are seeing the benefits of a healthy campus culture and students are learning valuable life skills of how to process their thoughts and feelings and to use their voice to express themselves in a more positive way.

“To me, circle is life because it helped me become the person I am today. It helped me grow,” said one Taffola Middle School student.

As we continue to work towards the collective North Star goal of the Future Ready Bexar County Plan — to increase the percentage of Bexar County High School graduates enrolling in postsecondary degree or credential programs to 70% by 2030 — restorative justice will be integral in reaching that goal. Promoting both healing and voice, along with access, have been identified as must HAVEs for equity Bexar County’s young people.

If your organization is ready to join in on the Future Ready movement or the Restorative Practices Collaborative, please contact admin@uppartnership.org to find out more information on how you can become a Future Ready partner or donate to the work here. You can also follow our progress by signing up for our newsletter and following us on social media.

UP Partnership is thankful to our partners and ask for your support on Giving Tuesday

UP Partnership is thankful to our partners and ask for your support on Giving Tuesday

At UP Partnership, we do the vital work of ensuring that all young people in Bexar County are ready for the future. Our Future Ready Bexar County Plan serves as the framework to reach the community’s collective North Star — to increase the percentage of Bexar County’s High School grades enrolling in postsecondary degree or credential programs to 70% by 2030. In Bexar County, that number is currently around 50%. To reach this goal, our work focuses on the equity pillars of HEALING, ACCESS and VOICE — the must HAVEs for EQUITY amongst Bexar County’s young people.

We do this work with the more than 70 community partners, across varying sectors, who have signed on to the Future Ready Bexar County Plan. While UP Partnership does the work as a backbone — serving as the lead convener and providing space for collaboration and centralized support — it is our community partners that are the “boots on the ground,” putting in the necessary work to ensure all young people can reach their full potential and become contributing members of society.

It is their hard work, in their communities, that is propelling forward the collective North Star of UP Partnership’s Future Ready Bexar County Plan.

On Giving Tuesday, Nov. 29, we ask that you consider supporting our nonprofit partners during this national day of giving back to your community, in whatever way you can. It is through the generosity of donors like you that our partners can continue their vital work of supporting and bettering the lives of people in their communities. A complete list of our Future Ready partners can be found here.

UP Partnership’s justice work augmented through Corporate Partners for Racial Equity Funding

UP Partnership’s justice work augmented through Corporate Partners for Racial Equity Funding

In May of 2022, UP Partnership was named one of six implementation partners by Corporate Partners for Racial Equity (CPRE) in which the organization was awarded $125,000 annually through 2024, to support My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio’s Restorative Practices Collaborative (RPC). The RPC is a long-standing collaborative effort and the funds received will augment the power of its work, and that of many of its partners, through grant funds beyond what was awarded to UP Partnership.

CPRE was formed a year ago in 2021 by leading local executives such as RC Buford, CEO of Spurs Sports & Entertainment, Phil Green, Chairman and CEO of Frost Bank and Kevin Voelkel, President of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas, among other industry leaders. Committing nearly $14 million over five years, funding focused on three key focus areas — education, economic opportunity and safety and justice.

UP Partnership’s CEO, Ryan Lugalia-Hollon, Ph.D., was invited in January 2021 to Chair the Justice and Safety Resource Group. He recruited national experts and leaders from My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio to shape the investment strategy for reducing racial inequities in and around the justice system. Through extensive background research, national interviews and literature reviews, the priority strategy was formalized and approved by the coalition CEO’s and corporations in the collective.

The funding received from CPRE enabled UP Partnership and key community partners to continue the important work of fostering healing in our community’s young people. We believe that healing, along with access and voice, are the must HAVEs for equity amongst Bexar County’s young people, and are the three pillars of the Future Ready Bexar County Plan, launched in April. Through that plan, we are working with a broad coalition of partners, across varying sectors, in a collaborative effort to reach a collective North Star goal, which is to increase the percentage of Bexar County High School graduates enrolling in postsecondary degree or credential programs to 70% by 2030.

Through year one implementation phase work, UP Partnership created a rigorous selection process alongside the San Antonio Area Foundation to provide further funding to six community partners. Those community partners are 100 Black Men of San Antonio Inc., American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions, Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas, Empower House, Family Service Association and Rise Recovery. Each partner will provide direct training of restorative justice and social emotional healing in Bexar County.

Many of these partners have a longstanding relationship with UP Partnership’s RPC providing restorative practice training on tools such as peace circles and peace corners to community partners such as local school districts like Harlandale ISD, Judson ISD and San Antonio ISD.

Launched in the 2019-2020 school year, across 21 schools in our partnering districts, the RPC was a response to community outcry to do something different than punitive discipline in order to break the pipeline-to-prison. Based in Indigenous practices, restorative justice works to build the community as a whole and hold community members accountable to each other. The belief is when a community is more connected, the more likely it is to repair harm when it occurs.

In Bexar County, there are 710,000 young people ages 0-24 years and, of that, 84% are young people of color. Restorative justice is a cost efficient strategy that works on improving the quality of life for all those involved. Outside of the school, restorative justice allows families to heal from daily and life-long trauma.

In the two school years since its implementation, schools using restorative justice have seen positive shifts in discipline and school attendance. The benefits of restorative justice are noticeable and tangible. Changes can be seen in schools as everyone — students, teachers and administrators — embrace restorative practices. School communities are seeing the benefits of a healthy campus culture and students are learning the valuable life skills of how to process their thoughts and feelings and to use their voice to express themselves in a positive way.

As one Tafolla Middle School student said, “To me, circle is life because it helped me become the person I am today. It helped me grow.”

Honoring Native American Heritage, Culture and Accomplishments in November

Honoring Native American Heritage, Culture and Accomplishments in November

November 1 kicked off Native American Heritage month, a month not only to celebrate indigenous cultures and contributions, but to learn about the rich history of all American tribes. This month also honors the indigenous people’s ability to overcome the unique challenges they have faced over the years.

The Boy Scouts of America were the first to have a dedicated “First Americans” day at the behest of Dr. Arthur C. Parkers, Director of the Museum of Arts and Sciences, a member of the Seneca Nation of Indians. In 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed a joint resolution that called for the month of November to be designated as “Native American Indian Heritage Month.” In 2008, the language of the resolution was amended to include Alaskan Natives.

As of 2021, there were 574 federally recognized Native American tribes and 6.79 million Native Americans with their own cultures, traditions and histories. The historically known narrative of Native Americans, however, has been largely told through a Western perspective, not a Native perspective. The month of November highlights the chance to learn from the stories of those who lived history; however, we have the chance to respect and learn throughout the entire year.

November also gives us the change to acknowledge the trauma indigenous nations have suffered — from colonization to genocide — and their continued struggles with stereotyping and cultural disrespect. By taking the time to learn from the offered stories and history of Native Americans, we can shift the narrative to a more historically accurate perspective that allows Native Americans to speak to their lived experiences.

Restorative justice originated from indigenous communities use of peacemaking circles to address and repair harm within a group. Restorative justice focuses on the harm done, restoring relationships, and building community. It can be used in a variety of settings, including schools. At UP Partnership, we highlight the importance of healing circles in our Restorative Practices Collaborative. Circles can provide a safe space for students that allows them to heal from experienced trauma, while fostering a community of support and understanding.

“While the language of restorative justice is contemporary, the [Indigenous] foundation of it is always seeking restoration and renewal to find the well-being of the community,” one partner recently explained in an interview. These circles make up a large part of the teachings from our partners such as American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions, Empower House, and IDRA and engagement within three school districts in Bexar County – Judson, Harlandale and San Antonio ISDs.

Restorative justice is just one way UP Partnership and its partners are implementing healing within Bexar County’s young people. Healing — along with Access and Voice — are the equity pillars that drive Future Ready Bexar County, a community wide plan that serves as UP Partnership’s strategic plan.

By having practices such as peacemaking circles that help young people recognize and talk out their issues, young people in Bexar County are receiving valuable conflict resolution tactics that increase healing. The work our partners do in restorative justice will be key as we collectively work toward the North Star goal of the Future Ready Bexar County Plan — to increase the percentage of Bexar County High School’s graduates enrolling in postsecondary degree or credential programs to 70% by 2030.