We believe it is essential to prepare today’s youth to lead our communities in the future. At GTCF, we focus on the challenges faced by youth during the time they spend out of school. Through a range of programs, we fund opportunities for young people to learn, engage, and lead. These are critical in helping youth navigate complex transitions to adulthood and map out pathways to career and life success. More specifically, we support youth through our Whole Child Partnership and Youth Philanthropy Board (YPB).
Whole Child Partnership
Through a multi-year grant from The Wallace Foundation, Greater Tacoma Community Foundation partnered with Tacoma Public Schools (TPS) to co-design Shift 2 of the Whole Child Initiative, a framework focused on meeting the needs of every child—academically, socially and emotionally. With expanded learning communities, GTCF and TPS are developing a plan to provide aligned, equitable, high quality social, emotional and academic development to students in and out of school.
The Whole Child Partnership focuses on six pilot TPS elementary schools, with six other elementary schools serving as comparison sites for a research study. Participating schools and expanded learning opportunity partners will align and share information and data to support continuous improvement, learning from each other what works well and what practices need to be strengthened.
Students will learn how to manage emotions, achieve positive goals, show empathy, maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. As a result, they will be better prepared to succeed academically and in the workplace.
Staff who interact with students—on the school bus, in hallways, in classrooms and expanded learning opportunities—will model and support the same social and emotional practices.
Youth Philanthropy Board (YPB)
The Youth Philanthropy Board (YPB) is a nine-month program that brings the important perspective of youth voice into philanthropy. Designed to provide youth the opportunity to play a role in funding decisions that directly affect their lives, the YPB equips members with tools to become philanthropic and community leaders.
Each year, YPB members fund quality, out-of-school-time programs that provide youth opportunities to learn, engage, and lead. Through this, the YPB members help support their peers as they map out pathways to success in school and life.
Youth learn how to:
- Speak up effectively to have their voices heard
- Collaborate with adults as partners in philanthropy
- Work with opinions that are new or different
- Recognize healthy, youth-serving nonprofits to fund
- Review and recommend grants to youth programs
At the end of the cohort, the Youth Philanthropy Board reviews and recommends $75,000 of grant funds to local youth serving programs.