Powering Future Ready: Building Capacity for Impact

Powering Future Ready:
Building Capacity for Impact

At UP Partnership, we know that improving outcomes for young people in San Antonio requires more than strong programs, it requires strong, sustainable organizations positioned to grow. That’s why our work focuses on strengthening both the quality of relationships young people experience and the capacity of the organizations that serve them.

That’s why we’re proud to share the results of our co-investment in the Network Support Pilot (NSP), a national initiative led by Catalyst Exchange, a nonprofit that provides organizations across education and the social sector with the tools, expertise and hands-on support needed to drive transformational outcomes.

Through this six-month pilot, 10 Future Ready Youth Development Organizations (YDOs) strengthened the systems behind their work by building clearer strategies, stronger infrastructure, and more sustainable revenue models. These organizations included Culturingua, Empower House, Healthy Futures of Texas, The Magik Theatre, Students of Service – San Antonio, Girls on the Run Bexar County, SA Youth, Sporti Transforming Lives, First Tee – Greater San Antonio and Youth Orchestras of San Antonio.

Each organization received a $30,000 investment, co-invested by Catalyst Exchange and UP Partnership, to address their most pressing needs. In total, partners completed 12 capacity-building projects spanning strategic planning, finance, technology and leadership development, walking away with tangible tools and a clearer path forward.

Through our Future Ready Bexar County strategies, we are scaling developmental relationships so more young people have access to consistent, meaningful connections with caring adults, which is an essential driver of long-term success. At the same time, we are building the capacity of YDOs to advance Future Ready Action Commitments, ensuring they have the infrastructure, strategy, and resources needed to deliver and expand high-impact work.

The results speak for themselves—100% of organizations met their project goals, and 90% reported high satisfaction with their outcomes.

This work reflects a core belief: when we invest in the strength and sustainability of organizations, we expand their ability to build meaningful relationships with young people and deliver lasting impact at scale. This pilot reaffirmed that when we invest in organizations serving young people, we invest in young people themselves, creating a stronger future together.

Excel Beyond the Bell San Antonio partners reconnect in person at the network’s annual summit

The weather may have been a little muggy, but the atmosphere was a breath of fresh air at the May 26 Excel Beyond the Bell (EBBSA) annual summit. Held at the Good Samaritan Center, the summit allowed EBBSA partners to gather, talk, laugh, and participate in team building activities. It was a sight not seen since early 2020.

With more than 80 partners in attendance, the event was UP Partnership’s first in-person event since the start of the pandemic.

EBBSA partners expressed a deep desire for reconnecting after experiencing more than a year of disconnection with their colleagues, partners and friends. So, the EBBSA Training and Capacity work group decided it was time to come together again.

The Big Picture: EBBSA is an UP Partnership professional network of youth development organizations working in partnership with local school districts to make San Antonio a place where all young people have access to the tools and relationships they need to succeed. Through the power of data sharing, collaboration, and advocacy the network supports the expansion of youth development programs and access.
The annual brings together its 45 youth development partners to celebrate the wins of the previous year and build relationships to further their mutual goal in strengthening youth development.

From the Field: Partners in attendance ranged from community leaders and youth-serving organizations to educational institutions and youth development programs.

Partners gathered together to reconnect and engage in development activities. Many attendees shared that “the opportunity to participate and collaborate together in team activities was a breath of fresh air.”
Using Open Space structure, attendees brainstormed ideas, helped each other by sharing best practices, strategized, and connected on a deeper level.
This year’s summit also marked the launch of the Excel Academy’s 2021 cohort applications. The Excel Academy focuses on professional development using the Search Institute’s Developmental Relationships framework.

“The Developmental Relationships framework is critical to the work youth development professionals provide to young people. One activity we used at the summit called concentric circles was a way to bring people closer by sharing thoughts and values with each other from philosophical questions that were asked. Many emotions were experienced as I watched people interact: Crying, laughter, joy.”

-liz moseley

Senior Manager of Community Learning

What’s next: As we collectively transition into an “in-person” world again, the EBBSA Annual Summit set a powerful precedent for in-person events in UP Partnership’s near future. The power of collaboration, relationship, and connectivity were on full display at the summit and the partnership looks forward to slowly moving towards having more of these events in the coming months.

Excel Academy Cohort 2 applications are open between June 1 – July 29 to any EBBSA network partner. In August 2021, 15 agencies will be announced for the second cohort.

Learn more about the Developmental Relationships Framework
Learn more about Excel Beyond the Bell San Antonio