Governor’s Office for Children and the Annie E. Casey Foundation Launch Results-Based Leadership Program

Aims to Achieve Improved Outcomes Among Disconnected Youth

ANNAPOLIS, MD – As part of Governor Hogan’s commitment to ensure young people are on a pathway to education and employment, the Governor’s Office for Children today announced that it has joined with the Annie E. Casey Foundation to launch the “Maryland Governor’s Office for Children Disconnected/Opportunity Youth Results-Based Leadership Program.” About 1 in 10 Maryland youth aged 16-24 is considered “disconnected”—they are neither in school nor working. These individuals are also referred to as “opportunity youth” because of their potential value to the economy and their communities.

Ten Maryland jurisdictions were selected to form teams of local leaders, including Local Management Boards, school administrators, counselors, nonprofit managers, workforce development directors, post-secondary education staff, social workers, and social services and health professionals, who are working together to create or expand existing programming to serve this population of youth.

“Education and employment are two key indicators of a young person’s well-being,” said Arlene Lee, executive director of the Governor’s Office for Children. “Improving outcomes for 16- to 24-year-olds creates greater economic stability that will lead to long-term self-sufficiency for children, youth, and families. We are pleased to partner with the Annie E. Casey Foundation to offer this leadership development approach to support Local Management Boards in their efforts and address the specific barriers in their communities that prevent young people from entering or staying in the workforce.”

The Casey Foundation, headquartered in Baltimore, develops solutions to build a brighter future for children, families, and communities. One of those solutions is the Foundation’s results-based leadership approach, which equips social sector leaders with customized skills to help them execute strategies and manage challenges in driving large-scale results for children and families.

“The Casey Foundation and the Governor’s Office for Children have in common a fundamental belief in the potential of opportunity youth,” said Patrick McCarthy, president and chief executive officer of the Foundation. “Over the course of the year, leaders from across Maryland will be learning new skills and competencies that prepare them to address the kinds of complex, multidisciplinary challenges that disconnect young people from school and work.”

Teams will have an opportunity to examine how to effectively use data to improve strategies, foster collaborative decision-making, and apply results-based leadership tools and methods to accelerate the achievement of better academic and employment outcomes for disconnected youth. The goal is that Maryland will achieve better outcomes for disconnected youth by December 2017.

Two cohorts will meet for four two-day sessions over the course of 2017. The first cohort, to begin this month, includes:

1.      Baltimore County2.      Baltimore City3.      Montgomery County4.      Talbot County5.      Worcester County

The second cohort, to begin in May 2017, will include:

1.      Calvert County2.      Cecil County3.      Harford County4.      Washington County5.      Wicomico County

The results-based leadership program is one way the Governor’s Office for Children andChildren’s Cabinet are working to achieve four strategic goals, which are designed to support Governor Hogan’s pledge to restore Maryland's economy. The four goals are to reduce (1) the impact of incarceration on children, families, and communities, (2) disconnected youth, (3) childhood hunger, and (4) youth homelessness.

About the Governor’s Office for ChildrenThe Governor’s Office for Children is committed to ensuring that all Maryland children, youth, and families will live and prosper in healthy, safe, and thriving communities. The Office partners with State agencies, Local Management Boards, and community-based organizations to promote the well-being of Maryland’s children, youth, and families through data-driven policies and collective solutions.

About the Annie E. Casey FoundationThe Annie E. Casey Foundation is a private philanthropy that creates a brighter future for the nation’s children by developing solutions to strengthen families, build paths to economic opportunity, and transform struggling communities into safer and healthier places to live, work, and grow.