TOGETHER WE CAN FOUNDATION

The Together We Can Foundation wants to improve outcomes for at-risk youth transitioning to adulthood in critical areas of high school graduation, post secondary education or vocational training, employment and independent living. Too many of our youth (14%) are aging directly into homelessness, unemployment, substance abuse, exploitation, and incarceration and we want to make a difference in the lives of these youth.

We are a small organization with a particular expertise in success skills classes targeted to at-risk teen and young adult populations. We do most of our work in prevention—trying to ensure that at-risk youth do not become disconnected in the first place. We work with small groups of youth at a time and give them intensive focus and attention to help them clarify their life-work goals and develop tools and skills to succeed at those goals. Those skills include the ability to establish a guiding vision of where they want to go based on their particular gifts, passions, values, aspirations and life experiences, the ability to plan and implement, the ability to identify, nurture and express an attractive personal brand, and the ability to develop a support network.

We have a full time staff of three teacher/presenters and a development and advocacy director. In addition, our executive director spends 82% of his time in program development and delivery. We also have a volunteer program coordinator. We were able to reach over 1500 new youth in 2020 (pre-covid) with direct service classes and another 3000 with indirect service, resources and partner agency staff training. At the height of the pandemic we dropped to just under 1000 you served, but have rebounded and expect to serve 1400-1500 youth this year.

Disconnected youth or youth with risk factors for disconnection graduate from high school or earn GEDs at a rate of about 75%. Youth who have completed our program have a 91% graduation rate. In addition, at-risk youth with no intervention pursue post-secondary education or training (which is critical to interrupting the minimum wage poverty cycle) at a 6% rate, while youth completing our program pursue post-secondary education or skills training at a a 62% rate. Finally, only about 16% of youth with risk factors for disconnection are able to find employment, while our program graduates find work at a rate of 78%. What's next for us is deepening our connection and longevity of impact with these youth and adding an outcome to monitor that looks at employment status after one year.