Last month, in the Governor’s Ballroom at Arkansas Northeastern College, more than 80 members of the Blytheville community pledged to work together to build a brighter future for youth in the community. The Blytheville Youth Coalition (BYC) was formed, per its mission statement, to empower youth and prepare them for the future.
The new coalition is the result of work that has been supported by the Clinton School Center on Community Philanthropy and the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. Both organizations have offered technical assistance and supporting funding in the implementation of this effort.
“Blytheville is becoming a model of community philanthropy that ultimately seeks to move the needle on poverty and other economic issues that hinder community and economic development,” said Dr. Charlotte Williams, associate professor and director of the Center on Community Philanthropy.
The coalition’s goal is to network local youth organizations in order to leverage resources and services to better serve youth in the Blytheville community.
The launch featured 20 community organizations that focus on areas that positively impact families, such as GED training and college readiness for adults, a nationally recognized charter school, and youth programs that teach life skills through athletics.
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