I.  History
a. State:

2003

Commonwealth of Massachusetts launched statewide initiative to improve the prospects of vulnerable youth ages 16 -21 across the state.  P21 envisions a youth system in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that is efficient and effective in insuring that all youth have the tools and supports necessary to be productive citizens by 21.

b. Local:

History of P-21

Locally: 

 2004

• Planning grants solicited from the Department of Workforce Development to improve outcomes for vulnerable youth
• 22 different youth serving agencies, from across the North Shore, came together in response to the solicitation
• Group met monthly
• Group identified six main categories of vulnerable youth
  • School dropouts
  • Immigrant youth
  • Homeless youth
  • Youth with mental health issues
  • Court involved youth
  • Youth aging out of foster care
• Group hired Children's Law Center to gather demographic data, conduct focus groups with youth, help analyze data and identify strategies and priorities on the group can work together to address these issues locally

2005

• Children's Law Center completed and submitted the report, "Reaching Higher: Pathways to Success by 21 on the North Shore"
• Group reviewed the six main categories of vulnerable youth, and decided to focus on school drop outs, because many of those youth were represented in the other five areas, and the group felt this would be the most effective place to focus energy and attention
• Group developed three strategies on how to work together, under P-21, to address the drop out issue
  • Recruit school personnel as active partners in the regional partnership
  • Implement uniform questionnaire from Search Institute to assess youth assets/strengths
  • Analyze data gathered by programs utilizing asset based questionnaire and use the results to drive programmatic decisions as they work together to realign local resources to more effectively serve youth in the target population.
• Group met to continue planning

 

2006

• Local P21 Coordinators participated in strategic planning with state P21 Steering Committee to plan priorities for statewide P21 initiatives:  Through this process the state steering committee adopted 9 priority strategies that represent P21.  Those strategies are: Public Awareness, Early Identification, Early Intervention, Outreach and Support, Increasing Alternative Education and Training, Work Readiness Assessment, Persistent Barriers, Sharing Data.
• State released P21 Implementation RFP
• Group responded to RFP and decided our work together would be based on the  "40 Developmental Assets" model by the Search Institute. 

2007

• Grant awarded to fund two components of P-21 group
  • Funds allocated to work on agency collaboration supporting asset based model.
  • Funds also allocated for a pilot strength-based model initiative "Navigating the Future" in which students in two youth GED programs could take two college courses through North Shore Community College and receive up to four college credits while working toward their GED.  The courses are taught by NSCC instructors on-site at two Youth programs: Catholic Charities in Lynn and, Compass Youth Progam in Gloucester. 
• P-21 Group met throughout the year to work on a range of asset based projects/initiatives, including:
  • Asset Model training
  • Collaboration on P-21 grant
  • Planning around implementing asset survey with P-21 partners
  • Participation in a survey around training needs (focused on strength based youth development and implementation of Asset Model)

2008

• Jan:  Focus groups completed with Navigating the Future students
  • Students now believe that they can go to college
  • The program gave more value to the GED program
  • They felt more motivated to stay engaged in the educational process because they were more excited, and felt like there was a benefit to staying
  • Girls reported that at some point they had thought about college, but boys reported that they had never thought about college. Both report that they are now taking steps to enroll in to school.
  • Students reported feeling positive, excited and hopeful about their lives and their futures, as they shared what they were going to be studying in college.
• Feb.:
  • Training on programmatic assessment of asset application (program structure, forms, procedures/protocols etc.) to explore if anything could be done to increase strength based approaches to working with youth.
  • Update on Website
  • Asset materials ordered for four sites (Gloucester, Lynn, Salem and the WIB) which will be shared with P-21 partners and community members.

 

• March:
  • Group met to discuss Asset Model application and received the book, "What Kids Need to Succeed." 
  • Case Manager/Liaison position is posted and group will be doing interviews in April/May.
  • Asset survey completed with students in  P-21, and submitted to be compiled.