Banyan Foundation

Our mission is to transform by developing youth, strengthening families, and creating community. To achieve our mission, Banyan’s overall goals are to:
Offer opportunities for youth from birth through post-
secondary education to develop leadership skills, engage in positive relationships with peers and adults, and have new formative experiences;
Provide academic support and shared expectations so youth c
an succeed in school, post-secondary education, and career;
Create a supportive environment around youth through the encouragement, investment, and care of the adults
in the community;
Strengthen families by connecting them to resources and helping them to avert crisis and navigate change;
Connect neighbors to one another through a network of block leaders so they can build a strong community;
Engage community elders in social gatherings to enjoy friendship and activities together.
In addition to the above goals, we strive to achieve the following outcomes across our youth, family, and community programs:

Youth: Becoming whole adults; Committed, learning and succeeding in their education; Pursuing and attaining fulfilling careers; Caring for and leading in their community
Families: Engaged, participating, and voicing their needs to drive programming; Connected to resources with barriers removed; Learning and growing as individuals; Advocating for and supporting children at every stage of development; Intentionally connected across ages and cultures
Community: Intentionally connected across ages and cultures; Learning, leading, participating, and engaging in promoting neighborhood goals

Our mission is only possible through a commitment to the values and principles we espouse. Authentic community development demands that we foster relationships and create spaces where
everyone can belong and contribute to the shared work
of social justice. As a community, we commit to the
following:
Youth: Develop all youth to learn, grow, and succeed by understanding and appreciating their diverse experiences, personal assets, and aspirations.
Family: Strengthen families by removing barriers to opportunities and making equitable resources accessible so all families can thrive.
Community: Create inclusive neighborhoods through trust-based relationships that unite our community in a
collective pursuit of the common good.
Additionally, the following preconditions are necessary to implement the strategies to achieve our organization's goals:
Youth: Are empowered, known, supported; Are supported in their social emotional development and mental health; Have new experiences and discover interests and strengths; Receive academic support during their primary/secondary education; Connected to good schools and helped with enrolling in them; Explore all post-secondary options; Receive programming/support through college and in starting careers; Have real world experiences and service-learning opportunities; Are actively involved and leading events for the community.
Families: Voice and needs are driving programming; Supported in navigating resources and receive regular check-ins; Provided with broad programming for adult learning; Have a support system for pre-K through pos-secondary; Gain skills to support and advocate for their children
Community: Activities, programs, gatherings that are inclusive, welcoming, and foster intergenerational and intercultural connections; Participation from different cultural and ethnic groups across the community; Community voice is driving programming; Partnerships with other organizations; Community members learn about neighborhood organizing and goals and learn more broadly; Community members engage in community organizing and obtain and receive community feedback.