Sponsored by:
The San Antonio Space Basis is supporting greater than a dozen youth-serving nonprofits as a part of an unprecedented push towards elevated postsecondary enrollment in our area.
Leaders from 16 native nonprofits gathered in July on the Space Basis’s headquarters to launch a key part of the Future Prepared Bexar County Plan (FRBCP).
This occasion was the kickoff for the Space Basis’s first group of Future Prepared Impression grantees, slated to obtain $7.1 million by means of six-year grants to assist extra center and highschool college students map out their future.
The Space Basis Future Prepared Impression grant recipients are: Massive Brothers Massive Sisters of South Texas, Boys and Ladies Golf equipment of San Antonio, CAVALRY, Empower Home SA, Ladies Inc. of San Antonio, Ladies on the Run Bexar County, Good Samaritan Group Providers, Wholesome Futures of Texas, Lemonade Circle, Rise Restoration, San Antonio Schooling Partnership, SAY SÍ, College students of Service, City Champions Academy, YWCA San Antonio and Youth Do Vote.
Lea Rosenauer, president and CEO of Ladies Inc. of San Antonio, stated the FRBCP program will allow companions to amplify their strengths towards a typical objective.
“I really do imagine the youth growth ecosystem and nonprofit ecosystems in San Antonio are so distinctive that we’re capable of work collectively for the betterment of native youth,” she stated.
Brandi Coleman, founder and CEO of Lemonade Circle, concurred — being a FRBCP grantee will enable accomplice organizations to enhance their companies and strengthen one another.
“It’s good to be surrounded by different superb leaders to develop professionally and see what we are able to do as a result of we’re stronger collectively,” she stated.
With the Space Basis’s position as an anchor accomplice in FRBCP, these 16 grantees will strengthen their afterschool and summertime packages to spice up the share of Bexar County highschool graduates enrolling in a school diploma or credential program to 70% by 2030. That fee stood at 50% when the plan was launched in 2022 and has already elevated to 56%.
Ryan Lugalia-Hollon, the Space Basis’s chief affect officer, stated our area’s philanthropic chief is absolutely dedicated to assist grantees strengthen and develop efficient packages that guarantee each pupil receives steerage and assist to succeed after highschool.
These grantees are uniquely positioned to strengthen faculty and profession advising throughout non-school hours, serving to extra younger individuals join with trusted and certified choices for his or her future. The Space Basis and its companions search to bolster their advising assist for college students beginning in sixth grade.
The final word objective is to have all college students in FRBCP faculty districts meet with a protected grownup at the least as soon as in the course of the faculty yr from sixth grade by means of twelfth grade.
Briana Hagelgans, Ok-12 and postsecondary director with UP Partnership, stated one overarching objective behind Future Prepared is for youth growth companions to work much more intently with native faculty districts and post-secondary establishments.
“Our inner knowledge is displaying that youth growth organizations at school districts are already offering assist, however that assist is just not reaching each pupil and never each grade,” Hagelgans stated. “The query now’s how can we try this in a extra intentional means the place we’re making a circle of assist … Every path appears to be like totally different for every pupil, and so it’s actually necessary to get related to any individual — a trusted grownup to assist them navigate what these pathways appear like.”
Gaining extra inspiration for his or her mission, grantees realized a couple of unified advising pilot program that 4 of the FRBCP nonprofits supplied to all seventh graders within the East Central Unbiased Faculty District (ECSID) the tip of the 2024-2025 faculty yr.
They offered one-on-one faculty and profession counseling to center schoolers over a two-day interval. Hagelgans stated the advising pilot was so profitable that 83% of ECISD center schoolers indicated a need to take part once more, and now this system is being expanded to incorporate two further faculty districts, in addition to incorporating eighth-grade college students.
Ada Saenz, CEO of Boys and Ladies Golf equipment of San Antonio, expressed pleasure over classes that may very well be realized from each the advising pilot program and from FRBCP companions.
“There’s a excessive want for the work that we do, so coming along with a number of the finest within the enterprise to kind this collective feels actually good,” Saenz stated. “We’re going to ensure that each youngster in San Antonio has entry to the assets they should obtain their desires and to thrive.”
