Envisioning a Future Ready Community: 3 pillars that guide our plan

Envisioning a Future Ready Community: 3 pillars that guide our plan

It is the responsibility of everybody in the community to ensure that all young people in Bexar County are ready for the future. Through the Future Ready Bexar County Plan, UP Partnership will work with a collection 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.

This is, without a doubt, an ambitious undertaking, but we also know that the framework of the Future Ready Bexar County plan will support and facilitate the differences required to attain that North Star. The plan is centered around three equity pillars — healing, access and voice, the must HAVEs for equity amongst Bexar County’s young people. Throughout this article, we will address how each of these pillars will ensure that young people in Bexar County are future ready.

Pillar One: Healing — Young people will be future ready when they all have the developmental relationships and healing supports they need. By focusing on healing traumas and fostering positive relationships with adults, we will increase high school completion and participation in programs outside of school, while also reducing suspensions, expulsions and juvenile court appearances.

Pillar Two: Access — Young people will be future ready when they can all access high quality education and career opportunities. By ensuring young people have crucial resources and support, we will increase postsecondary enrollment and success, as well as access to key technology needed for success.

Pillar Three: Voice — Young people will be future ready when their voices are heard and their leadership potential is nurtured. By uplifting the voices of young people, we will give young people ownership of problem solving and policy making at the tables addressing the very issues that they face.

We are all in this together. It will take every member of our community, working together, to ensure the success of young people through the Future Ready Bexar County Plan, and this list continues to grow with more and more partners signing up to be institutional agreement partners to the plan.

If your organization is ready to join in on the Future Ready movement, 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.

Follow our progress by signing up for our newsletter and following us on social media @UPPartnershipSA.

Closing Racial Disparities in Access to Education

Closing Racial Disparities in Access to Education

Talent is equally distributed across young people in our community, however, opportunity is not. Though this is tied to larger nationwide issues, we will start here in Bexar County to change outcomes for local young people. Since 2009, UP Partnership actively serves as the backbone organization to various institutions including school districts, postsecondary education partners, local government and other education-focused nonprofits to ensure all students in our community are prepared for the future.

As the backbone, we lead in convening our partners so that we can collectively coordinate data, align pathways and promote policy change so that all students are able to succeed.

Together, we not only relish our successes, but learn from the times we have “failed forward” by sharing lessons each of us have learned along the way.

Through some of these lessons learned, we and our partners collectively identified the need to establish a communitywide plan to ensure all young people in Bexar County are ready for the future, which is called the Future Ready Bexar County Plan.

With a north star goal of increasing postsecondary enrollment of Bexar County High School graduates in a degree or credential program to 70% by 2030, UP Partnership—alongside its partners in the nine sectors of early childhood, preK12, postsecondary education, youth development, workforce, justice, funders, corporate partners and local government leaders—will use data and metrics to develop solutions that will aid in the success of Bexar County’s young individuals guided by racial equity pillars of healing, access and voice.

We want the voices of young people to be heard and have their leadership potential nurtured. Our Future Ready vision will activate adults, the community, and youth-serving systems to prepare the next generation of leaders. When young people can identify their needs and apply their problem solving efforts, they’re better able to contribute to advocacy efforts on their own behalf. This way our young community will be prepared to join and influence decision making tables while also giving them the credit and implementation support they need.

Young people deserve every opportunity to become their best selves. With the right support, they can achieve great things in life. But their potential is often hindered by systemic obstacles. We believe that these obstacles are holding back a generation of youth and our community as a whole. We aim to change this and give kids all the opportunities they deserve.

These problems include: economic segregation and harsh disciplinary measures, for which UP Partnership’s partners are providing direct service measures to try and improve.

Problem: Economic Segregation

Economic segregation is measured by how evenly economically sound and underprivileged children are distributed within the U.S. public school system. Research shows that Black and Latinx students are more likely to attend schools with high levels of economic disadvantage compared to White and Asian students. These results have been shaped by federal and state housing policies and through a history of discrimination. These opportunity youth also experience unequal access to the same resources and learning opportunities as students from wealthier backgrounds. What this ultimately means is that school poverty rates are a key measure with educational learning and achievement.

How UP Partnership is addressing issues with equal access

This starts with a shared community vision. We want to ensure that all young students have access to education and the career opportunities they deserve. Our systematic plan will support these young individuals in enrollment and succession in postsecondary programs to reach the ultimate goal of attaining a prosperous career. With UP Partnership partner support, these students will have access to technology and high quality out-of-school-time programs. Additionally, with the help of the systems and organizations involved with UP Partnership, we will implement outreach and engagement strategies to connect young people to school and living wage opportunities.

Problem: Disciplinary Measures

Research has shown that childhood misbehavioral issues like aggression, can actually predict higher earnings later on in life. Yet, there is a disproportion regarding disciplinary measures when misbehavior occurs in schools within different racial groups. It has been found that Black children face harsher penalties for acting out on the same levels of behavior externalization compared to their White peers. For the children in lower income markets, exhibiting this type of external behavior finds no benefits, while White students have been shown to benefit from this form of expression in their fields.

To succeed, young people need to have access to restorative justice practices and healing support. Far too many of them get held back by punitive disciplinary measures and unjust systems that negatively impact their future opportunities. These individuals need to be given the support to overcome trauma and elevate their strength and resilience. UP Partnership teaches restorative justice practices to our partners that aid educators in keeping these young individuals connected to their school without providing harsh punishment.

How UP Partnership is addressing disciplinary measures in school environments

UP partnership is here to ensure all students part of this San Antonio community are prepared for the future and given the right tools to do so. We coordinate data, align pathways and promote policy change so that all students are able to surpass these negative statistics and succeed.

To learn more about who we are and our impact visit About Us | UP Partnership | Unlocking Potential.

08/11/2022 Newsletter

Message from CEO:

Leaping Forward Together – Reflections on Seven Years of Partnership

My family and I made the leap to San Antonio seven years ago this July. We wanted to be closer to our parents and we wanted our parents to be involved in our children’s lives. We were also excited to escape Chicago winters, even knowing we were trading them for the unrelenting heat of Texas summers.

This was a leap that led to many others. 

I was fortunate to get a job supporting Excel Beyond the Bell San Antonio. Two years into that work I took on the executive role with UP Partnership, known at the time as the P16Plus Council. We then merged Excel Beyond the Bell and UP in service of making San Antonio the “top city in the country for youth to learn, grow, and thrive.” … 

Working alongside many other contributors, our collective has helped the larger San Antonio community to deepen its commitment to racial equity. 

Read the rest of our CEO’s reflections and the successes we all have collectively advanced during the last seven years.

Data Driven

Persons who earn an associate’s degree typically make
over the course of their lives.
$ 0 K more
Those who earn a bachelor’s degree typically make
than those with a high school diploma.
$ 0 M more

The Latest Network Updates

Diplomás + My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio

On August 19th, Diplomás and MBKSA will kick-off the 2022-2023 school year with a Collaborative Social at Weathered Souls Brewery. Registration is required and we hope to see you there! Email
Jonathan Weaver at Jonathan@uppartnership.org for more details.

Excel Beyond the Bell San Antonio

In mid-June, youth-serving professionals from local organizations, such as Youth Code Jam, Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas, YWCA, YOSA and PRESA Community Center, Catholic Charities, Ella Austin Community Center, JOVEN and North East ISD’s Kids’ Involvement Network, graduated from the Excel Academy. Excel Academy is a 10-month professional development course that equips youth serving practitioners with the tools they need to more holistically integrate Search Institute’s proven framework for “Developmental Relationships” practices within their agencies. Relational techniques that can be used to implement this framework include:  expressing care, challenging growth, providing support, sharing power, and expanding possibilities.

My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio

On September 29th, San Antonio will host more than 100 individuals from Fort Worth, Austin, and Houston for a convening that will champion the MBK Texas initiative. In preparation for the upcoming 88th Texas Legislative Session, these individuals will collectively set a statewide policy agenda focusing on school community safety, and youth civic engagement.

Our Tomorrow

In conjunction with SAY Sí, the “We Are Now” 2022 exhibit is seeking submissions from a diverse set of young artists ranging across many platforms of art, including film, painting, sculpture, music, dance and theater. Encourage a young artist in your life to submit their artwork by Sept. 30th at bit.ly/wearenow2022.

Future Ready Bexar County

On July 20th, UP Partnership virtually convened more than 150 senior leaders of institutions for the inaugural Future Ready Leadership Table. Together, we highlighted preliminary projects that are already having an impact on Bexar County students and in reaching our North Star of 70% postsecondary enrollment by 2030. Recordings of the event are available here: 

Jayde Beebe

Director of Data and Information Management

Team Member Highlight

Jayde believes in the power of data. As the Director of Data and Information Management, she empowers our community to make data-driven policy for young people that ultimately leads to systems change. A self-proclaimed data geek, Jayde is a big picture thinker.

Prior to joining the UP Partnership team in 2019, she worked for the South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless (SARAH) and Haven for Hope, where she worked with city leaders and community stakeholders to develop project monitoring and evaluation tools to help inform system-level planning and prioritization of needs for the community that is experiencing homelessness. She enjoys ‘nerding out’ over data dashboards, traveling, and spending time with her two dog-children, Eleanor and Margo.

UPportunities to get involved!

Is your institution an official Future Ready partner yet?

It’s not too late to become a partner in the Future Ready Bexar County alignment plan. Email ryan@uppartnership.org to join the nearly 70 institutions that have already signed on to ensure Bexar County’s young peoples’ futures!

Leaping Forward Together: Reflecting on Seven Years of Partnership

Leaping Forward Together: Reflecting on Seven Years of Partnership

My family and I made the leap to San Antonio seven years ago this July. We wanted to be closer to our parents and we wanted our parents to be involved in our children’s lives. We were also excited to escape Chicago winters, even knowing we were trading them for the unrelenting heat of Texas summers.

This was a leap that led to many others. 

I was fortunate to get a job supporting Excel Beyond the Bell San Antonio. Two years into that work I took on the executive role with UP Partnership, known at the time as the  P16Plus Council. We then merged Excel Beyond the Bell and UP in service of making San Antonio the “top city in the country for youth to learn, grow, and thrive.” 

These roles connected me to collective impact – the art and science of working across institutions to solve big population level problems, such as educational equity. Collective impact quickly became my professional home. It gave me a way to combine my commitment to young people and my passion for urban planning, largely by building new structures for focused partnerships. 

I love how collective impact constantly draws us into the unknown, calling us forth into new possibilities. It helps us to see that there is an infinite pool of solutions waiting to take shape: Connections that need to be built. Agreements waiting to be formed. Collaborations ready to take root. And so many of these possibilities require enhanced versions of ourselves, new ways of showing up in the work.

Throughout these years, I’ve had the great fortune of working with more than two dozen staff and hundreds of passionate volunteers. Together, as one friend said, “we have thinned the walls that separate our institutions.” We have built a growing community movement by embracing emergence at each step of the way. 

While some benefits of this movement are intangible, many of the results are concrete. 

Through the leadership of Diplomás, we’ve built breakthrough training resources and large-scale convenings for educators. Through My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio, the Restorative Practices Collaborative has scaled restorative justice tools such as peace circles and corners, reducing several school districts’ reliance on punitive discipline. Through Excel Beyond the Bell, youth serving agencies have gained unprecedented access to program data and Excel Academy has helped dozens of agencies build higher quality relationships with those they serve, a key to strong program outcomes. 

Working alongside many other contributors, our collective has helped the larger San Antonio community to deepen its commitment to racial equity. We were among the first communities in the country to commit to an equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. More recently, we have set a shared North Star of attaining 70% postsecondary enrollment for our high school graduates by 2030, a goal that will help to uproot longstanding racial, ethnic, economic, and geographic disparities.

Together we’ve helped bring tens of millions of new dollars to the table to support young people. This has happened through: multi-million dollar increases in how the city funds youth violence prevention, a dedicated $10 million youth recovery fund through ARPA, $4 million in new community grants we’ve facilitated through Blue Meridian Partners, and $14 million in gifts we’ve helped shape through the Corporate Partners for Racial Equity in partnership with the San Antonio Area Foundation and the United Way. 

Importantly, we haven’t settled for just using our own voices. We have prepared young people for future waves of advocacy. This was initially accomplished by revitalizing the San Antonio Youth Commission and more recently through youth-led research, policy training, grantmaking, and storytelling in conjunction with partners such as SAY Sí.

Collectively, we have treated the unknown as a stepping stone to discovering what’s possible. As a result, we have found new ways of leading together, built a movement that is now more unified than ever, and many of us have made close new friendships along the way. 

The next phase of our work will be anchored by the Future Ready Bexar County Plan, which supports our new bold North Star goal. This plan is backed by nearly seventy institutions, including local government departments, school districts, universities, non profits, and funders. These partners have all made explicit commitments to scaling Healing instead of punishment, Access instead of disconnection, and Voice instead of isolation, the must HAVEs for our young people to shine.  

Today, so many leaps later, I am proud to walk alongside so many of you brilliant community champions. Thank you all for your dedication to this work and for allowing UP Partnership and myself to support along the way. I am excited to continue leaping forward together and, in so doing, breaking down the walls that separate us.

In very serious cahoots,

Ryan Lugalia-Hollon

Partners share direct aid resources to support Uvalde community post-tragedy

Partners share direct aid resources to support Uvalde community post-tragedy

Many of UP Partnership’s community partners have been on hand assisting with in-person emergency response in our neighboring county of Uvalde after the senseless tragedy that unfolded at Uvalde CISD’s Robb Elementary School on Tuesday, May 24. Education Service Center, Region 20 Executive Director and UP Partnership board member Jeff Goldhorn has been on-site providing support to that district’s leadership and helping coordinate support efforts from the San Antonio region.

These efforts included mobilizing a group of counselors to provide needed healing supports from surrounding school districts such as Northside, East Central and Edgewood ISDs, among others. Additionally, the University of Texas at San Antonio is also offering counseling services to its students and is working to also offer similar support to the families in Uvalde. 

The San Antonio Area Foundation in tandem with the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country and in partnership with the National Compassion Fund is accepting donations toward two funds aimed toward providing direct financial assistance to the survivors of the deceased and those directly affected by this tragedy, as well as an emergency relief fund to support area nonprofits that will provide long-term assistance, including mental health services in Uvalde.

H-E-B is also driving donating $500,000 to help the victims, as well as coordinating donations through its stores, while the Charles Butt Foundation is actively working on their coordinated response.

Below are further ways that we can all help the Uvalde Community in the short-term, as they begin the journey to recovery.

How to help the Uvalde Community

Monetary Donations
First State Bank of Uvalde has setup an account for donations. To donate to the Robb School Memorial Fund, please call them at 830-278-6231 and ask for Roxanne Hernandez, Chance Neutze or Cody Smith for any questions.  

You can also drop off donations at any of their branch locations or mail to: PO Box 1908, Uvalde TX 78802. Checks can be made payable to the “Robb School Memorial Fund.” Donations are also being accepted via Zelle using email address: robbschoolmemorialfund@gmail.com.

The San Antonio Area Foundation in partnership with the Community Foundation of Texas Hill Country have started a relief fund for the victims and their families, as well as others affected by the Uvalde shooting. You can donate on their websites.

Donate Blood at the following blood drives
• University Health in San Antonio is encouraging blood donations at its donor room at University Hospital, 4502 Medical Dr. in San Antonio. Appointments can be scheduled here
• South Texas’ primary blood bank, the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center, has also organized a blood drive for Wednesday in Uvalde at the Herby Ham Activity Center
• Walk-ins are welcome for those in the area. Interested donors can also make an appointment ahead of time through their website

Resources to navigate discussions around trauma
In response to the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde Texas, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network has developed resources to help children, families, educators, and communities navigate what they are seeing and hearing, acknowledge their feelings, and find ways to cope together. These resources include: 

Resources for Responders
The NCTSN also has resources for responders on Psychological First Aid (PFA; En Español). PFA is an early intervention to support children, adolescents, adults, and families impacted by these types of events. PFA Mobile and the PFA Wallet Card (En Español) provide a quick reminder of the core actions. The PFA online trainingcourse is also available on the NCTSN Learning Center. 

Additional PFA resources for schools include: 

From the National Mass Violence and Victimization Resource Center

From the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress at the Uniformed Services University

Disaster Helpline

SAMHSA has a Disaster Distress Helpline – call or text 1-800-985-5990 (for Spanish, press “2”) to be connected to a trained counselor 24/7/365.

 

 

05/23/2022 Newsletter

Working towards a Future Ready Bexar County

The Future Ready Bexar County Plan has been launched publicly! In conjunction with our partners, we’ve aligned our work toward our North Star: By 2030, we will increase the percentage of postsecondary enrollment of Bexar County High School graduates in a degree or credential program to 70%. This number currently stands at around 50% in Bexar County.

Data Driven

Total 5 to 24 year olds within Bexar County = 567,698. This population makes up 29% of Bexar County’s total population.

The Latest Network Updates

Diplomás + My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio

The annual Growing UP in San Antonio (GUISA) event will have two target population areas for practitioners to grow their skills in supporting: Latinx and Dreamers, as well as boys and young men of color. The event will be held virtually on May 25 and 26. Special guest speakers include the First Lady of San Antonio and H-E-B executive Erika Prosper and Associate Juvenile Judge Cruz Shaw!

Excel Beyond the Bell SA

The annual Excel Summit was held on May 10. This year’s theme was 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!

Our Tomorrow

The Our Tomorrow Youth Grants Committee met with Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Blue Meridian Managing Director Othello Meadows to provide insights on the positive learning experiences they acquired in evaluating and making decisions on funding applications from youth-led projects, as well as the importance of getting youth insight on grander scale funding decisions.

Briana Hagelgans, Ed.D.

Director of K12 & Postsecondary

Team Member Highlight

Briana believes that postsecondary education should be accessible to all students. She has more than 14 years of experience working in San Antonio’s higher education sector across various institutions of higher learning. Briana earned her doctorate in higher educational leadership. At UP Partnership, Briana’s role focuses on advancing equity in postsecondary access and success by working closely with our K12 and higher education partners.

UPportunities to get involved!

Excel Academy

Applications for the 2022 Excel Academy, a 10-month leadership and relationship development program aimed at youth developmentv professionals, are currently open through July 31, 2022! Be part of a cohort of professionals, like you, committed to deepening connections and using a racial equity lens in our work. Reach out to shelby@uppartnership.org to learn more.

Is Your Institution an Official Future Ready Partner yet?

It’s not too late to become a partner in the Future Ready Bexar County alignment plan. Email ryan@uppartnership.org to join the nearly 50 institutions that have already signed on to ensure Bexar County’s young peoples’ futures!

UP Partnership network gives thousands of dollars to high school students for youth-led projects

UP Partnership network gives thousands of dollars to high school students for youth-led projects

SAN ANTONIO (March 8, 2022) – UP Partnership’s youth voice network, Our Tomorrow, has given 11 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 in a pilot program meant to advance projects that matter most to them and their fellow classmates. 

“We created this pilot program in response to  young people’s request to be active participants in creating solutions to the challenges they are facing. The youth in our community have valuable ideas about the impact they want to make in their school and broader communities and we were thrilled to be able to support them through this initiative,” said Lisa Marie Gomez, UP Partnership’s Vice President of Youth Voice and Restorative Justice.

Through their projects, the chosen high school youth from schools such as Thomas Jefferson, Sam Houston, Young Women’s Leadership Academy, CAST Tech, CAST STEM, CAST Med, CAST Lead, along with a staff mentor from their respective school, are making an impact in areas such as mental health and suicide prevention, food insecurity, tax preparation, professional development and cultivation of social skills. 

Funded projects include:

– A Volunteer Income Tax Program by CAST Tech student Olivia Sanchez and staff mentor Lilian Gonzalez

– A Calming room on CAST STEM’s campus to meet needs around stress, overwhelm, and mental health led by CAST STEM student Christian Young and staff mentor Lilia Montes

– A Flower Flow project that funds the purchase of hygienic products for students by CAST Med student Irene Ramos and staff mentor Sabrina Donatto

– Restructuring and expanding a garden within the Helping Hands program to allow for outdoor classroom space, as well as a composting area to reduce food waste and a mobile produce food pantry led by CAST Lead student Airanda Wollney and staff mentor Calee Jaskula

– Ladies Hurricane Harvest young women conference led by Sam Houston student Yolanda Cisneros and staff mentor Joredanne Carmack

– The Better with Books program that will establish a safe space book club for students by CAST Med student Nicole Nino and staff mentor Anissa Cortez 

– A Dress for Success project by the DECA Inc. club students at CAST Lead and staff mentor Calee Jaskula

– The Feeding Community project by the Pitmaster club students at Jefferson aiming to help feed barbecue to its community and staff mentor Rogelio Garza

– A mental health awareness night in May that will invite professional therapists, counselors and psychologists speak on basics of mental health, healthy eating and exercise led by Young Women’s Leadership Academy’s student Zoe Lopez and staff mentor Kimberly Carter

– The Shooting Star Festival that will highlight mental health awareness through music with all funds raised donated to the Tim Bergling Foundation for Mental Health Awareness led by CAST STEM student Carlos Faz and staff mentor Lilia Montes

– A mental health series by the Center for Young Minds led by students Elisa Gonzalez, Yi Liu, TJ Kalikiri, Trinity Erwin, Alyssa Martinez, Shradha Pavankumar with staff mentor Jennifer Forbes 

“To further uplift the voices of youth, which is the reason why the Our Tomorrow youth voice network exists, all of the projects were chosen for funding by a youth grant review committee consisting of 11 students from all areas of Bexar County,” added Gomez. 

The funding for these grants came from $8 million in funding received by UP Partnership and the San Antonio Area Foundation from New York-based national nonprofit consortium Blue Meridian Partners in late 2020 to help with equitable recovery in San Antonio. 

UP Partnership has used these funds for initiatives that specifically fall under its three equity focus areas of increasing youth voice, access to college and career opportunities and healing instead of punitive disciplinary measures. Grants were awarded to nonprofits with initiatives tied to these focus areas, such as 100 Black Men, the American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions and Empower House, formerly the Martinez Street Women’s Center.

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 through its networks of My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio, Diplomás, Excel Beyond the Bell and Our Tomorrow. In total, UP Partnership has 200 local and national institutional partners and 500 volunteer leaders across seven sectors of early childhood, preK12, postsecondary education, youth development, workforce, justice, funders, corporate partners and local government.

UP Partnership goes through reorganization in preparation for release of community plan

UP Partnership goes through reorganization in preparation for release of community plan

UP Partnership is realigning our organization to better serve our partners as we prepare to publicly launch the Future Ready Plan, a countywide plan designed to help its partners better collaborate to ensure all young people in our community are ready for the future.

The organization has promoted staff who will now serve as strong points of contact to our partner organizations within UP Partnership’s four systems change networks: Diplomás, Excel Beyond the Bell, My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio and Our Tomorrow.

The Future Ready Plan is based on three major equity pillars—voice, healing, and access—which must be implemented throughout child, youth and young adult serving systems.

Its core components were created after a yearlong process of gathering input from hundreds of stakeholders from various educational institutions, youth development organizations, city departments, and community organizations and was recently approved by a planning table that is made up of UP Partnership’s Board of Directors as well as key education and workforce development partners.

The purpose of the plan is to align the goals of all of UP Partnership’s partners as well as other Bexar County networks, such as ReadyKidSA and the Corporate Partners for Racial Equity through its pillars, collectively driving the work that reach nearly 400,000 young people, or 70% of Bexar county’s youth population, including 330,000 young people of color.

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 through its networks of My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio, Diplomás, Excel Beyond the Bell and Our Tomorrow. In total, UP Partnership has 200 local and national institutional partners and 500 volunteer leaders across seven sectors of early childhood, preK12, postsecondary education, youth development, workforce, justice, funders, corporate partners and local government.

2021 Year End Review

2021 Year In Review

2021 brought exciting progress to UP Partnership and, in turn, our city. As we enter 2022, check out 22 ways that we helped to grow our community’s commitment to ending the racial and ethnic inequities that impact children, youth, and young adults in our community. Whether you took part in our convenings, citywide planning, continuous improvement work, or youth-focused investment efforts, many thanks to all of you who helped make 2021 a success!

1.

We began the year by kickstarting a citywide planning process for young people, supported by major grants from Blue Meridian Partners and USAA. To anchor this planning, we launched the Future Ready Planning Table, which brings together top decision makers from seven vital sectors influencing cradle to career outcomes. These include: Early Childhood, PreK-12, Youth Development, Higher Education, Funders, Employers and Workforce and Local Government.

2.

Diplomás, MBKSA, and Excel Beyond the Bell hosted multiple listening sessions for the Future Ready Plan, shaping the plan’s commitment to ensuring youth have a voice in decisions made for them, the resources to heal from harms and access to college and career opportunities.

3.

Excel Beyond the Bell held it’s in-person Summit in May. Partners gathered for a day of team building around Developmental Relationships, exchanging ideas and exploring ways for strengthening youth recovery from the pandemic.

4.

The Future Ready Planning Table adopted Voice, Healing and Access as the equity pillars for the Future Ready Plan, as informed by feedback from over 180 institutions including UP Partnership networks and a unified Coordinating Committee composed of educational and community leaders from across the city.

5.

At the network’s annual Youth Summit in March, My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio (MBKSA) announced student scholarships totaling $300,000 for boys and young men of color, made possible with funding from USAA. Each scholarship recipient also received guidance from college and career mentors, as well as network partners.

6.

UP Partnership released its guide to spending American Rescue Plan Act dollars to support youth recovery from the pandemic. Recommendations include expanding youth development programs for young people most impacted by the pandemic and funding full-time employees to coordinate mental health services in and out of school.

7.

In partnership with Excel Beyond the Bell, we mobilized an ARPA advocacy campaign with city leaders to ensure that ARPA investments are dedicated to youth recovery and resilience with a focus on expanding out-of-school time seats for young people most impacted by the pandemic.

8.

Thanks to the Blue Meridian grant and the support of UP Partnership, the San Antonio Area Foundation awarded 15 grants to Bexar County organizations that are growing the youth voice and leadership components of their programs.

9.

We directly distributed over $1,000,000 to local implementation partners who are helping to close racial and ethnic disparities for young people in bold ways, including innovations in equitable policymaking, dreamer supports, restorative justice and career access.

10.

In October, Corporate Partners for Racial Equity announced its $13.8 million contributions to our community throughout the next five years, with a focus on equitable education, economic opportunity and community safety and justice. UP Partnership is an anchor partner for this coalition and is supporting its implementation strategy.

11.

In partnership with the San Antonio Area Foundation, Our Tomorrow launched a youth voice grant application anchored by a youth committee of 11 grant reviewers that awarded $26,000 in mini grants to support youth-initiated and led projects across three districts: East Central ISD, San Antonio ISD and Southwest ISD.

12.

UP Partnership hosted the virtual StriveTogether Cradle to Career Convening for 2021. Partnerships from across the nation gathered to virtually celebrate achievements learned throughout the year. 12 local youth artists received a $1,000 scholarship from StriveTogether as a part of its Art Inspires scholarship award. 

13.

Our Tomorrow hosted its third annual Youth Voice Summit focused on young people’s mental wellness. The virtual event brought together local youth and adult advocates to explore how young people can increase their civic literacy skills and cope with changes caused by the pandemic.

14.

We strengthened our continuous improvement work across three communities of practice: Excel Academy, the Restorative Practices Collaborative, and the Equitable Enrollment Collaborative. These collaboratives provide resources to youth-serving professionals to better support future ready outcomes.

15.

We deepened the work of the Restorative Practices Collaborative, which supports 21 campuses across three districts to reduce punitive discipline practices and, in turn, close disparities in high school completion and college readiness.

16.

We launched the second cohort of Excel Academy, which is supporting nine organizations to grow their adaptive leadership skills, with training rooted in evidence, centered on results, and focused on racial equity.

17.

To increase postsecondary enrollment among San Antonio’s boys and young men of color and Dreamer students, the Equitable Enrollment Collaborative (EEC) engaged five school districts and seven college and university partners. EEC participant teams come together monthly to advance targeted strategies.

18.

To align with MBKSA priorities, we partnered with the American Indians of Texas and Empower House (formerly Martinez Street Women’s Center) to grow community capacity for restorative justice and reduce youth involvement in the justice system. 

19.

We partnered with Education Service Center Region 20 to support Local Education Agency (LEA) leaders to ensure budgeting practices address equity for all students. To this end, they have developed a curriculum that supports LEA teams to develop a deeper understanding of Texas School Finance in the context of equity. 

20.

Our Tomorrow held its third annual Youth in Power program, providing three tracks for youth to build their leadership and civic literacy skills. The tracks were: Policy Institute, the Youth Grants Committee and Youth Participatory Action Research.

21.

In partnership with SAY Sí, we launched “Youth Voices: An Our Tomorrow Podcast,” which highlights key civic engagement issues from a youth perspective. Click here to listen to interviews with community leaders, including Mayor Ron Nirenberg.

22.

Our Tomorrow’s “We Are Now: Youth Voices During Challenging Times” art exhibit opened to the public on Dec. 11, in partnership with SAY Sí. Please visit SAY Si’s new location to see amazing student art through the beginning of the new year!

10/15/2021 Newsletter

October Newsletter

white stripes

Ryan’s UPlift – Action Builds Hope

Do you believe that all young people can truly become ready for the future? Or, somewhere in the back of your mind, do you doubt the possibility? 

If you answered yes, then you are among the fierce and devoted leaders aligned to UP Partnership’s mission. If you answered no, your contributions are still vital! We just ask that you keep an open mind about what we can all achieve when working together. 

Over the past quarter, UP Partnership has been pushing as hard as ever. Our partners and staff have been actively working to create more equitable systems. We have teamed up with major corporate leaders and the United Way to drive new investments in racial equity in youth and family outcomes. We’ve made major progress on the Future Ready Plan, which directly builds on the Equitable Recovery Pledge we launched at the onset of the pandemic. We have continued working with school districts, colleges and universities, youth and community development partners, and juvenile justice reformers to drive communitywide improvement together. We even helped to lead the national StriveTogether Convening!

We are so proud of the work that we are all driving, but we also know we still have a very long journey ahead. It’s our shared belief that will sustain us for the long haul. If you are struggling to see how our world can truly get better, we invite you to get involved with a youth-serving agency near you. The more action you take with others, the more hope we think you’ll experience.

Call to Action!

Prior to the pandemic, tens of thousands of young people in San Antonio were already hurting from a lack of equitable resources and support. As a result of the pandemic, those inequities have intensified, often many times over. Youth who started off behind in academics have fallen further behind. Children who endured neglect or abuse became further exposed. And students who were struggling to stay on the path to college endured major setbacks.

 

That’s why the City of San Antonio must invest in our young people’s recovery from the pandemic. In the next few months, COSA will be allocating its last 230 million in ARPA dollars. We know our City Council cares deeply about our young people, but they also hear many voices advocating for other interests. If you have a relationship with your council person, please let them know you will fully support them by prioritizing services for children and youth, such as those provided by members of our Excel Beyond the Bell network.

Big Story

Future Ready Plan 

The Future Ready Plan will be a blueprint that community-wide partners can reference as we build a more equitable future for students throughout San Antonio. We will do this together by ensuring young people in our city have their voice heard, their healing prioritized and access to an education and/or career path that they deserve. Read more about the planning process here.

Data Point Spotlight

70% (3 options for text)

Through our 4 action networks and 3 collaboratives, UP Partnership initiatives have the capacity to positively impact 70% of all young people in Bexar County.

Latest Network Updates

Our Tomorrow

Youth Voice Grant applications are now open through Dec. 3! Students in SAISD, ECISD and SWISD are eligible to apply. Read more here and please share with your networks. If you would like your district students to be eligible for upcoming grant applications, please consider partnering with the Our Tomorrow network.

Diplomás

The annual Growing Up in San Antonio conference has been postponed until 2022. We will be hosting more joint events with MBKSA in the coming year, so stay tuned.

EBBSA

The Education Success Dashboard was completed ahead of schedule. This dashboard provides a shared system to assess the impact of San Antonio’s youth development sector. We also launched Cohort 2 of Excel Academy. The academy was kicked off by a racial equity training by the Search Institute.

MBKSA

With funding support from USAA, MBKSA is awarding up to $160,000 in scholarships. High school students, justice-involved young people and college mentors are eligible to apply with selected partners. The deadline is Nov. 12.

The Equitable Enrollment Collaborative held our first session and will be welcoming high schools to our Oct. session. We are also in the process of granting up to $6,000 awards to our institutions to help them create plans that support boys and young men of color (BYMOC) and Dreamers. The Restorative Practices Collaborative distributed $92,000 to campuses across the city to help them create a restorative justice plan that supports BYMOC. 

Chellie Fernandez

Director of College Pathways

Team Member Highlight

On Oct. 5, Chellie Fernandez, our Director of College Pathways, was awarded the Bill Henningsgaard C2C Champion Award for her dedication and contributions to building local cross-sector cradle-to-career education partnerships. Chellie believes in increasing postsecondary attainment for Latinx, Dreamers and boys and young men of color. As Director of College Pathways, Chellie oversees My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio and Diplomás, two action networks of UP Partnership.

Student Awards

C2C Convening (Art Inspires Scholars)

At the 10th Annual StriveTogether Cradle to Career Convening, partnerships from across the nation gathered virtually to celebrate achievements and lessons learned throughout the last year. For the first time since the scholarship’s inception, StriveTogether doubled its awards by selecting 12 young artists to receive a $1,000 scholarship. Because the convening was originally scheduled to take place in-person this month, UP Partnership, Say Sí and Our Tomorrow partnered to share these opportunities with students across our city. The winning artists’ works were showcased throughout the convening. Check out the list of the scholarship recipients here.

UP Partnership Team UPDates

Here we grow again! We are looking for a dynamic Director of Communications to lead our internal and external communications. Applications are being accepted through Oct. 18. Apply today.

Board UPdates

Board Retreat Recap – On July 28, our Board of Directors and other leading executives met in person for the first time since 2020. During the meeting, the Board and guest leaders made major decisions about the shape of the Future Ready Plan. They also helped to release our American Rescue Plan Act spending recommendations

Our team would like to wish our former Board member, Pedro Martinez, well as he assumes the new role of Chief Executive Officer for Chicago Public Schools. Thank you Pedro for your leadership at SAISD, on the UP Partnership Board and in our city.

Our next Board meeting is scheduled for Nov. 15. During that time, our Board and executive guests will continue finalizing the Future Ready Plan.

Coming UP next November

On Oct. 5, Mayor Ron Nirenberg was interviewed by Bre Jimenez and Ayanna Brooks. Bre and Ayanna are both high school student leaders who are active in the Our Tomorrow network. The full recording will be featured in next month’s newsletter. Stay tuned! 

UPComing Events 

Flyer attached regarding: Registration info for the Oct. 28 event Keeping Recovery on Track: COVID-19 and Working with Youth Lunch & Learn if it would be sent prior to that. It is open to all youth serving professionals.