Submitted by J.R. Logan on September 28, 2011 - 9:35am
Over the last couple of years, United Way of Greater New Haven has been building a community blogging presence. Our theory was that United Way is uniquely positioned as a connector for many area social organizations and community leaders. For this reason a United Way blog would be a natural way to connect more people in the community to these perspectives. We saw it as an efficient way to make the Greater New Haven nonprofit sector a little more transparent and show the community the various perspectives of people working in the field.
On March 23, United Way of Greater New Haven (UWGNH) hosted a forum for non-profit organizations to share information about Boost! and to get their input about how Boost! should be designed. The Mayor and Superintendent both shared their vision about what New Haven young people need, the school change initiative, and how providing coordinated services to young people and their families through our vibrant non-profit sector is a vital component of the overall effort to promote student learning. UWGNH CEO Jack Healy explained why United Way was involved in this work, and how it would help address the educational disparity that emerged from a regional needs assessment several years ago as one of the region's top priorities. We also heard from three non-profit leaders about some of the experiences they have had working with the schools to meet the needs of young people.
