Partnering for Promise: A Morning for Youth-Centered Impact in Atlanta

“When we resource leaders, we build pathways and unlock promise,” said Jasmine (Jaz) Burton, Executive Director of our Alliance Community’s place-based work in Atlanta. This truth came alive at our recent ‘Partnering for Promise: A Morning for Youth-Centered Impact in Atlanta’, a breakfast co-hosted by APA and Stand Together Foundation (STF) last month. 

This milestone gathering brought nearly 30 local funders together to reflect on what it takes to accelerate collective action across Atlanta’s youth-serving ecosystem. Rather than spotlighting programs in isolation, the conversation centered on how organizations might align efforts across K–12 education, postsecondary pathways, and civic engagement to expand opportunity for young people. 

Launching New Tools for Collective Impact 

The event offered a glimpse into APA and STF’s new Insights to Impact (I2I) partnership, a capacity-building program that builds on insights and lessons learned from Stand Together’s Customer-First Measurement approach with the goal of helping Atlanta youth-serving organizations respond to community needs and more clearly demonstrate their value to donors and partners. This new pilot will enable and empower Atlanta-based Alliance member organizations to be responsive to the communities they serve, center youth perspective in some of the most consequential decisions they make about their services, and equip their leaders with tools for peer learning and youth-centered impact measurement. 

Shared Learning and Collective Progress

These reflections capture the spirit of the Partner Cities initiative: nonprofits working together to strengthen youth outcomes locally, while connecting to a national network of peers for shared learning and collective progress:

“Achieve Atlanta is proud to join APA as part of the Partner Cities Initiative. This strategic partnership strengthens our work by connecting us to a national network of peers and providing timely insights that deepen our local impact. Through this curated community, we are not only deepening the impact of our individual organization, but we’re also contributing to broader efforts to elevate student voice and advance opportunities for young people across the country.”  -Dr. Cheryl Watson-Harris, Ed.D, President of Achieve Atlanta

“Within weeks of joining APA, we received resources and support to finally launch our Youth Advisory Council, which has already yielded 50 incredible applicants. We look forward to enhancing our STEM programming with the unique and important feedback from these brilliant young minds.” -Dr. Marsha Francis, Ph.D., Executive Director of STE(A)M Truck

A Shared Commitment to Atlanta 

We’re grateful to Stand Together Foundation for making this breakfast possible and for serving as anchor investors in our Atlanta Partner City work alongside seed funders including The Coca-Cola Company, Georgia Power Company, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Special thanks also to Café Momentum Atlanta for hosting. 

 Learn More 

We invite local leaders, funders, and community members to join us in building this movement—resourcing leaders, amplifying youth voice, and accelerating collective action. 

Learn more about our Partner Cities, and how to join the Alliance here.