The LEAP initiative began with 10 partnerships that implemented models from Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) and Jobs for the Future (JFF) to improve young people’s connections to education and careers. Six of those organizations received additional funding to expand education and career pathways across the country:

• Coalition for Responsible Community Development (Los Angeles, CA)
• Covenant House Alaska (Anchorage, AK)
• The Door (New York, NY)
• Nebraska Children and Families Foundation (Lincoln, NE)
• Project for Pride in Living (Minneapolis, MN)
• SBCS (San Diego, CA)

The LEAP partnerships’ holistic approach recognized the need to address all the systems that a young person encounters. Working across sectors—education, housing, public agencies, and more—allowed the partnerships to help young people navigate complex and bureaucratic systems that system-involved youth especially face when accessing resources and services.

The report covers promising practices that LEAP partnerships adopted, including:

• Focusing on partnerships and advocacy and policy change as strategies to address the holistic, whole-person needs of system-involved youth
• Scaling local ecosystems—across geography, programs, partnerships, and other factors—to deepen and expand support for young people
• Engaging youth from across the initiative to build their skills, advocate for policy changes, and grow their leadership locally

For more on the challenges, opportunities, and recommendations from the LEAP initiative, see the executive summary and full report.

DOWNLOAD THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT

Project Team Members:

• Jennifer Thompson
• Alice Soo-a Choe
• Ana Lucía Raubitschek
• Steph Skinner
• Carise Mitch