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Advancing Opportunities for Adolescents: Exploratory Phase

In 2023, Wallace selected a group of 30 cross-sector partnerships for an 18-month effort to help address the needs of adolescents in their communities who face barriers to participation in afterschool and summer programs and to build understanding about what these kinds of partnerships were doing and how. Insights from this exploration helped to shape our new, multiyear initiative, Advancing Opportunities for Adolescents, which now includes a group of seven communities.
A young black girl kneeling forward at her desk at Russel Elementary School classroom with other mixed race and gender students

What we're doing

Research shows that high-quality out-of-school-time programs can bolster young people’s intellectual, social, emotional, and physical well-being. 

Studies have also shown that "cross-sector partnerships" can develop and carry out such programs. These partnerships bring together public and private organizations working in areas ranging from education to youth development to community health services.

This exploratory effort supported 30 such partnerships nationwide in a variety of projects to meet the needs of teenagers who face significant barriers in life. In one endeavor, for example, an advocacy group for at-risk young people is uniting with the mayor's office, a local college, and others to turn vacant storefronts into education and career centers for youth.

What we're learning

A research team from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) plans to follow and document the work of the partnerships. The idea is to develop insights useful to each partnership, the larger group, and Wallace.

Our Grantee Partners

Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network

Aurora Public Schools

Hopeloft

Chattanooga 2.0

DePaul University

MyCom

Northland Foundation

Capitol Region Education Council (CREC)

Connect Community

Kauluakalana

Voices of Pacific Island Nations

Mayor's Fund for Long Beach

Arts for Healing and Justice Network

Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture

Milwaukee Succeeds

Better Together Hennepin

Hennepin County Public Health

Nashville After Zone Alliance (NAZA)

ExpandED Schools

Philadelphia Works

Poughkeepsie Children's Cabinet

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Rhode Island

RiseUp Red Wing

NextUp RVA

Hartnell College Foundation

Santa Fe Community Educators Network (SFCEN)

30,000 Feet

Taos Education Collaborative

United Way of West Central Mississippi

Sodus Central School District

GROW Windham

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