Minneapolis Children and Youth Agenda Communiqué

Since December, we have been working on four strategic objectives designed to move the Children and Youth Agenda forward.  The following is the most current information on our work to achieve these objectives.
 
 
Objective 1: Engage wider range of stakeholders
Progress has been achieved primarily through the re-structuring of the leadership teams around the four goals and the expansion of those teams to include other stakeholders outside of the YCB partner organizations.  In addition, the YCB plans to convene policy-oriented children and youth organizations or coalitions (i.e. Ready for K, Minneapolis Children’s Advocacy Network) at the end of March for the purposes of sharing our respective work and ensuring that we are working in concert and not at cross-purposes. 
 
In May or early June, we plan to convene organizations and coalitions that have a strong change agenda they are trying to move forward.  These organizations may be issue specific (i.e. out-of-school time, mentoring) but they tend to have a large following of organizations who look to them for leadership.  The purpose of this convening will to bring them more deeply into the Children and Youth Agenda and help them determine what part they can play to help achieve the Vision and goals.
   
Objective 2: Create accountability measurements and methods for tracking
The team that was formed to identify indicators for monitoring progress has completed its work on selecting a set of indicators for each of the four long-term goals.  The group created three lists of indicators:
1)  those that would go in the report card,
2)  those that will be tracked because they are useful in making strategic decisions, and
3)  those for which no instrument exists but are of enough importance that innovative data collection approaches will be developed.
 
The first step was to identify criteria for selecting indicators for the report card. The criteria are as follows:

• Vision: Does the indicator relate to the MYCA vision statement?
• Availability: Is the indicator currently available? If not, can operational definitions be specified and a feasible method for collecting the data identified?
• Future reliability: Is the indicator available on a predictable schedule that is capable of being updated every 2 or 3 years?
• Validity: Is the indicator an accurate measure of the phenomenon of interest, and does the indicator adequately take into account different cultural values and perspectives?
• Meaningful: Is the indicator of interest or concern to the target audience?
• Research based: Has the indicator been shown to be strategically important through research?
• Potential for improvement: Is it reasonable for this indicator to show progress, given appropriate attention, resources, and strategy?
• Inspiring: Does the indicator attract attention and inspire action?

 
A template for the report card has been developed and data are being collected.  Drafts of the report card will be shared with the Board and with outside organizations as we progress.  The goal is to have the report card ready for release in June.
 
 
Objective 3: Finalize and implement strategic focus of each of the four priority areas
Progress is being made in each of the four long term goal areas. 
  
I. Connected to family, caring adults, peers and organizations in their community: 
This leadership team is being co-convened by YCB and the Minneapolis Public School’s Safe Schools/Healthy Student’s initiative.  They have engaged in data collection and analysis and have identified two areas for strategic focus:
1) increasing youth participation in positive activities, and
2) creating consistent quality “standards” for all sectors working with children and youth. They are in the process of developing a strategic plan for moving into action on these two areas.
 
II. Physically and psychologically healthy:
This leadership team is being co-convened by YCB and the Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support (MDHFS), with MDHFS taking the lead.  MDHFS has already begun setting the groundwork for supporting an “Urban Health Agenda,” which is intentionally related to both the City of Minneapolis Comprehensive Plan and the YCB’s Children and Youth Agenda.
 
III. Prepared for, take advantage of and transformed by learning opportunities in school and the broader community.  This is the broadest goal and the initial planning team identified more than four dozen issues that could be address under this goal.  These issues can be captured under five categories:
1) Early childhood education,
2) K-12 system (i.e. curriculum, environment),
3) Out-of-school time,
4) Building community support and family capacity and engagement, and
5) Issues correlated to being able to learn (i.e. physical and mental health). 
 
Our initial thoughts are to have a dual focus on early childhood education and building community support, family capacity and engagement.  The leadership team will be convening in April.
 
IV. Fully prepared for and engaged in building their future.
An initial planning team for this goal is proposing to tap into the emerging work of Achieve!Minneapolis which is in the process of developing an on-line tool for children and youth to develop a personal/career plan.  The tool is part of an ambitious public-private effort to coordinate efforts inside and outside public schools to prepare students for their postsecondary education and career goals. Achieve!Minneapolis will co-convene the leadership team with the YCB.  The leadership team will explore the opportunities the planning tool presents for libraries, park centers, residential institutions and other places where children and youth spend their time to help them prepare for and be engaged in building their own future.
 
 
Objective 4: Create brand and social marketing strategy
A marketing consultant is beginning to work with the YCB and Team 2020 on the development of an “initial” marketing plan.  By “initial” we mean the creation of a brand and messaging for different audiences we want engaged in the first year.  It is nearly impossible to create a full-fledged marketing plan until the leadership teams complete their planning.  However, there is a need for targeted messages that could move potential or existing stakeholders into action.  We are on schedule to launch a new brand in June.