The Quest for Readiness… For College, for Career, for Life

Westchester Children's Association’s Annual Advocacy Breakfast will feature a lecture from Karen Pittman, a nationally recognized leader on youth development and collective action, about using collective impact to achieve real changes for children and youth. You will learn the basic principles and framework of collective impact, as well as hear the experiences of local groups working to address various problems using the collective impact approach.

About the Lecture

Karen Pittman is Co-Founder, President, and CEO of the Forum for Youth Investment, a leading organization in the field of youth development and the home of Ready by 21, a groundbreaking collective impact model for youth.

What if young people’s success was measured not by course completion and graduation, but by their ability to succeed in college, work and life?

What if we recognized that their success comes from the cumulative impact of life experiences that begin in the earliest years?

What if we looked for the places where learning and growth is happening (families, jobs, community programs, schools) and engaged those places for greater impact?

What if we helped young people identify what they need to be ready for the lives they want and then helped them build the necessary attributes, skills and knowledge?

What if…?

Panel Response: Westchester Perspectives on Collective Impact

Following Ms. Pittman’s lecture, there will be brief responses about the collective impact initiatives of:

• Yonkers Thrives – Annie Huang
• Lower Hudson Valley Perinatal Network – Cheryl Hunter-Grant
• United Way of Westchester and Putnam – Alana Sweeny

About Collective Impact

Collective impact is the dynamic process of a group of actors from different sectors committing themselves to a shared agenda in order to solve a particular social problem. Westchester Children’s Association is pursuing collective impact to address some of the most pressing needs of our county’s children and youth. Learn more about this initiative at our 2015 Advocacy Breakfast.