#UNITED 4 YOUTH

Putting our community's youth on the path to fulfilling their greatest potential requires us to work together towards a shared vision and goals.

What Is United 4 Youth? 

To ensure youth have the opportunity to reach their greatest potential, the Unietd 4 Youth collaborative provides wrap-around services and leadership support to promote:

  • Education & Lifelong Learning

  • Health & Wellness

  • Economic Sustainability 

  • Community Connection 

United 4 Youth is a community empowerment model - assembling teams of nonprofits to co-design innovative collaborative programs that lead to positive and sustainable outcomes for our highest needs youth.This is a multi-year investment in comprehensive community-based approaches that will make sure our youth grow in a safe, healthy, and thriving community.United 4 Youth reflects the United Way belief that these programs, along with others, can promote lasting outcomes to impact youth well-being.

Components of United 4 Youth include:

Community Partnerships

  • United 4 Youth Program Partners (Youth Violence Prevention Partner Agencies)

  • Santa Cruz/Live Oak Community 

  • Watsonville 

Policy Advocacy

  • Legislator stewardship

Programming

  • 211 Helpline

  • Jovenes SANOS

  • Youth Violence Prevention Task Force

Data & Insights

  • Community Assessment Project

  • Monitor and evaluate progress, adjust model as needed, manage grants, contracts, and donor gift

Why Did United Way Create United 4 Youth?

United Way has well established partnerships: United 4 Youth is rooted in our organization's nearly 80 year relationship with communities throughout Santa Cruz County.

The United Way:

  • recognizes the overwhelming need that exits for youth and families throughout Santa Cruz County 

  • has the organizational capacity to serve as the backbone organization in this collective impact approach - providing capacity building and technical assistance

  • is in the position of receiving support in the form of donations, partnerships, and contracts from prominent corporate business partners, government agencies, foundations, and individual donors

  • is an organization known for championing charitable workplace giving programs designed to designate financial and in-kind resources to local community organizations

 

The United Way is uniquely positioned: United 4 Youth seeks to benefit from United Way's role as the heart of connectivity of local community benefit organizations, business, and govenment.