SPRING 2014 UPDATE Issue #2
WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING
A lot! Since our last communication, the Executive Team and staff have beenworking hard with the assistance of StriveTogetherto prepare the way for afull launch of our community's cradle to career partnership. The first order ofbusiness was to finalize the name, vision, and mission based on all of thegreat input from community members who participated in the May 20J-3Design Institute and the team that worked through the summer and early fallto that end.
We are pleased to announce that the Forsyth County Cradle to CareerPartnership is officially known now as The Forsyth Promise and is guided bythe following vision and mission:
Vision: Every child in Forsyth County receives the best educationpossible and is fully equipped to thrive throughout life.
Mission: The Forsyth Promise supports the success of every child fromcradle to career through the development and alignment of communityresources.
A logo has been designed to represent The Forsyth Promise and will beunveiled soon, along with a website.
The Executive Team also formally selected United Way of Forsyth County toserve as the "backbone organization" charged with providing fiscal andadministrative support for The Forsyth Promise and appointed Dr. ShareeFowler to serve as The Promise's Partnership Director. Along with Adam Hill,The Promise's Data Analyst located at Forsyth Futures, the staffing for thepartnership was rounded out when Crystal Outlaw joined the team asNetwork Facilitator on March 3, 2m4. Learn more about Crystal on page 2.
As you may recall, we have been following Strive Together's Theory of Actionfor developing a Cradle to Career Civic Infrastructure. (For more informationabout the Theory of Action, you can explore an interactive version athttp://www.strivenetwork.org/theory-of-action/exploring.) In January 2014the staff completed an intensive assessment to determine our progress inmeeting various benchmarks in the Theory of Action. We are excited toannounce that based on the results of our assessment, The Forsyth Promisewas invited to formally join the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network.The StriveTogetherteam was quite complementary about our work to thispoint and even asked if we'd be willing to be contacted by othercommunities in the early stages of their efforts!
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WHAT'S AHEAD
A critical component of The Promise'swork is the formation of CollaborativeAction Networks. These networks arecomprised of cross-sector stakeholdersthat will develop and implement actionplans aligned to The Promise's priorityoutcomes and indicators. Thesemeasures were identified and selectedthrough community feedback over thelast year. The Executive Team hasidentified two priority indicators, earlychildhood literacy and high schoolgraduation, for initial focus based on aset of criteria that included factors suchas significant need, readily accessibledata, and existing momentum. Briefingsessions forthese new networks will beheld Thursday, April 24th.
Early Childhood Literacy 8:00-9:15 amSmart Start of Forsyth County
High School Graduation 3:00-4:15 pmUnited Metropolitan Missionary BaptistChurch
To RSVP for one ofthe briefingsessions, please contact CrystalOutlaw at 336-721-9344 [email protected].
Our Goal:Move from Individual Action to Collective Impact
Collective Impact =
Coordinated Impact =
Individual Impact
© Strive 2011
WHAT.S BEEN HAPPENING
Additionally, The Forsyth Promise staff team was chosen as one of five fromcommunities across the country to participate in a leadership program for networkmembers sponsored by The Annie E. Casey Foundation and StriveTogether. The 10-month leadership program is designed to support the backbone staff working to buildthe partnership infrastructure and to accelerate the partnership's progress along theStriveTogetherTheory of Action.
Finally, we've been in the process of data collection and analysis for the baseline reportto be released in June 2014. The report will be updated annually to report on thepartnership's progress in positively impacting the priority outcomes and indicatorsidentified and selected through community feedback over the last year. An IndicatorsAdvisory Team, comprised of local experts representing domains across the cradle tocareer continuum, also has been assembled to review the data and provide guidance tothe staff.
As you can tell, the Executive Team and staff have been working diligently to shore upthe partnership's infrastructure and prepare for a full launch. Check out the "What'sNext" column to see how you can plug in and join the effort to make the vision of TheForsyth Promise a reality!
Crystal Outlaw officially joined The Forsyth Promise asthe Network Facilitator on March 3rd. Originally fromPittsburgh, PA, Crystal moved to Winston-Salem inSeptember 2013.Sheattended The PennsylvaniaStateUniversity where she earned a B.A. in CorporateCommunications and graduated with a Master of SocialWork degree with a concentration in CommunityOrganizing and SocialAdministration from TheUniversity of Pittsburgh School of SocialWork in 2013.Crystal brings experience with casemanagement,stakeholderfacilitation, teaching, mentoring, and civic/community engagement to our team.
EXECUTIVE TEAM MEMBERS
Steve BerlinKilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
Susie CampbellSheico, Inc.
Jewel CherryForsyth Technical Community College
Dr. Trae CottonWinston-Salem State University
Dr. Beverly Emory
WS/FC Schools
Brenda EvansUnited Way Women's Leadership Council
Chris FoxHanesbrands Inc.
Alexandra GaskinsCalvary Baptist Church
Cindy GordineerUnited Way of Forsyth County
Marlon Hu nterForsyth Co. Dept. of Public Health
Dr. Karen McNeil-MillerKate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust
Ann PetitjeanForsyth Co. Association of Educators
Dr. Eva PhillipsReady Schools Initiative (WS/FC Schools)
Rev. Prince Rainey RiversUnited Metropolitan Missionary BaptistChurch
Dr. Kenneth SimingtonWS/FC Schools
Jill TackaberyWS/FC Board of Education
Mari Jo TurnerHispanic League
Larry VellaniSmart Start of Forsyth County, Inc.
Dudley WattsForsyth County
Rev. Lawrence WomackCHANGE
The Forsyth Promise Operations Team
T. ShareeFowler, PhDPartnership DirectorUnited Way of Forsyth [email protected]
Crystal OutlawNetwork FacilitatorUnited Way of Forsyth [email protected]
Adam HillData AnalystForsyth [email protected]
Please share this communication with others in our community who may be interested in getting involved with this effort!
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