Although other initiatives in this objective area may include young people as part of their engagement efforts, young people are not explicitly centered. We have seen time and time again that when engagement efforts are designed without young people as partners, and without consideration of barriers specifically impacting young people, young people do not engage. When programs and spaces are created with young people as partners and leaders, we expect to see a Durham that reflects what young people actually want and need. We expect to see policies and programs that are responsive, relevant, and have impact.  

There are several key initiatives that help us reach our goals for this initiative. Our Changed By Youth (CBY) ambassador program involves 15 paid youth consultants who are trained, nurtured, and supported to be in spaces where decisions are being made about programs, new positions, and policies throughout local government and beyond. They support various youth engagement initiatives and also plan a series of community offerings for other young people in Durham – we call this their “love letter” to other young people in Durham. We seated our fourth CBY cohort in August 2024 and spent several months meeting for relationship building and training. In December 2024, ambassadors hosted a Participatory Budget (PB) session for over 40 other young people to learn about PB and submit their ideas for how they would spend $2.4 Million to make Durham a better place for young people. They also supported the development of youth Community Conversations about City of Durham budget priorities. Other key initiatives include: designing strategies to engage young people in the Durham Athletic Park Feasibility Study; serving on Durham County’s RYSE Assessment Center Advisory Board; designing a youth transit campaign with Durham Public Schools Safe Routes to School, and building a youth council framework for Sister Cities Durham. 

In fall 2023, we awarded a total of $300,000 to 18 grantees under the second cycle of the Durham Youth Leadership Fund (DYLF). Grantees worked to grow youth leadership in Durham and were focused on: creating connection through art and culture; creating welcoming "third spaces" - spaces outside of home and school; and supporting mental health. Our partners wrapped up their projects in fall 2024, after bringing a total of 70+ new paid youth leadership positions to Durham and doing truly transformative work! Read more about their projects here (English and Spanish). In October 2024, we invited our community to join us in Durham Central Park to celebrate both the incredible work of our grantees and the launch of our new mission and vision! The “In Bloom” event brought together over 130 young people, families, and youth-serving organizations to honor the impact of youth-led initiatives in Durham.

In addition to supporting our grantees with consultation and training, we also continue to provide consultation to other adult youth service practitioners regarding building youth leadership within their programs. Thus far since July 2024, we have made 10 consultations. Over the last year, we also co-convened a Core Team of mentoring practitioners as part of the Durham Youth Mentoring Alliance Initiative, during which we hosted listening sessions with young people, caregivers, and practitioners, and developed a set of recommendations for how we can collectively improve mentoring services for young people in Durham.