Durham Strategic Plan Dashboard
Prosperity
Status Indicator: 
In Progress | 
On Hold | 
Complete/Ongoing
Initiative: 2.12 Partner with educational institutions for outreach to vulnerable youth
Creating a Safer Community Together
Description
This initiative aims to partner with educational institutions to provide support to vulnerable youth. Vulnerable youth, such as those from low-income families, marginalized communities, or individuals facing challenging circumstances, often lack access to quality education and support systems. By collaborating with educational institutions, we can use their expertise, resources, and infrastructure to reach a wider audience of vulnerable youth and offer them opportunities for personal growth, skill development, and academic advancement. This initiative is important as it addresses educational disparities and helps break the cycle of poverty and social exclusion, empowering these young individuals to lead more fulfilling lives and contribute positively to their communities. Additionally, the partnership model ensures a sustainable approach by fostering long-term collaborations between our organization and educational institutions committed to making a lasting impact on the lives of vulnerable youth.
Key Measures & Data Analysis
The initiative is concluding with lessons learned documented to guide future outreach and partnership work.
Why is it important?
This initative’s collaboration with educational institutions will be a transformative force in advancing the reach and support for vulnerable youth. The combined effort and expertise will amplify the impact of outreach programs, provide valuable resources, and create a sustainable framework for empowering vulnerable youth to lead more fulfilling and successful lives.
What have we been doing?
Staff built and tested a model for connecting at-risk youth with public safety mentors and diverse community role models, ultimately finding that nonprofit partnerships provided stronger access to the target population than traditional educational institutions.
Key activities include:
• Conducting initial outreach to DPS, NCCU, and Durham Tech, and pivoting to charter school and nonprofit outreach based on access and fit.
• Establishing a partnership with nonprofit P.O.O.F and facilitating multiple sessions with middle and high schoolers featuring speakers including an entrepreneur, judge, author, and law enforcement representative.
• Documenting lessons learned to inform future partnership strategies, including the importance of organizational capacity, stability, and fit.
What's next?
The initiative is concluding with lessons learned documented to guide future outreach and partnership work. Recommendations include:
• Partnership Screening – Researching whether potential school and organizational partners already have similar programs before engaging.
• Capacity Assessment – Carefully evaluating organizational capacity, resource stability, and fit before investing in a partnership.
• Point of Contact Structure – Designating a single consistent direct contact between educational institutions and the City for smoother coordination.
City Website Home Page: Durham, NC | Official Website (durhamnc.gov)
Budget Website Page: Budget & Management Services Department | Durham, NC (durhamnc.gov)
Budget and Management Services Department
Office of Performance and Innovation
Strategy and Performance Division