Program Timeline

  • March 2022 Our State Our Work Initiative Launch

    Program Announcement

  • June 2022 Kickoff Webinar

    After completing a round of applications and interviews, 13 community teams covering 37 of North Carolina’s counties were selected for the 18-month engagement with the University. In June of 2023, they began the program and were introduced to one another during our virtual kickoff.

  • September 2022 Forum 1

    Together, teams crafted a shared vision, identified standards of engagement, and were introduced to the ncIMPACT Collective Impact model for how to structure and sustain this work.

    Before attending the forum, teams created a short video capturing the story of a young adult who either is or was at high risk for becoming an Opportunity Youth, but defied the odds. These “Stories of Thriving” are personal and powerful accounts of experiences in each young person’s own words. Their stories stood as a testament to the trusting relationships the community organizations that are part of OSOW’s community teams have formed with people in their programs.

  • November 2022 Webinar 1

    A Multi-Sector Approach: Supporting Opportunity Youth from All Sides

    Mess Mapping with Amy Wade

  • January 2023 Forum 2

    Shared visions and Opportunity Youth perspectives

    After completing activities such as mess mapping, problem definitions, and asset mapping, teams returned to the School of Government in January of 2023 to create their shared visions and collaborative agendas, outlining how they would collaboratively work to achieve their goals. Teams heard directly from youth how to best reach and engage their target demographic, and were guided through the creation of a shared measurement system.

  • February 2023 Webinar 2

    Social Media for Social Good

    Carolina Across 100’s “Our State, Our Work” team members participated in a webinar offering tips and strategies for leveraging social media to connect with a specific audience, like Opportunity Youth. The UNC School of Government’s Jessica Khan guided participants through best practices for community outreach, with support from ncIMPACT’s Mary Parry and Wenxin Chen.

  • March 2023 Forum 3

    Reaching numeric goals and supporting Opportunity Youth Across Diverse lived experiences

    Between January and March, teams returned to their home communities to discuss their shared visions, goals, objectives, and measures, and make adjustments to these measurement systems. At Forum 3, they had a chance to present their finalized plans, hear directly from employers in emerging NC industries, and learned of resources that exist to support Opportunity Youth across a broad range of diverse lived experiences.

  • March 2023 Rick Brown Joins Carolina for One Year to Support NC Jobs Initiative

  • April 2023 Webinar 3

    Focus Group Findings

    “This American (Work) Life” – Challenges & Opportunities in the Workforce

    In collaboration with NCGrowth, ncIMPACT Initiative has hosted focus groups across all eight of NC’s prosperity zones to ask the question, “Where are the Workers?” We have heard from over 130 employers, workforce support providers, and young people about their experiences, barriers, opportunities, motivations, and essential needs related to work since the onset of the pandemic. We shared high-level findings with participants in an April 25 webinar.

  • April-May 2023 Employer Engagement Check-ins

    As part of the ongoing supports offered by the “Our State, Our Work” program, the CX100 ncIMPACT team met one-on-one with each of the OSOW teams to understand their previous efforts to engage employers in their work, the success fo hese efforts, and set next goals and next steps together. 

  • May 2023 Mini-Grant Awards 1

    Congratulations to the grantees of the first round of funding through the “Our State, Our Work” innovation grants!

  • June 2023 Webinar 4

    Clearing the Path

    Lee Howell Jr. and Erica Ford with NCWorks NextGen shared evidenced-based strategies for re-engaging OY through employment.

  • June 2023 Webinar 5

    Entrepreneurship

    This webinar explores the opportunities for fulfilling employment that entrepreneurship can provide and offer solutions for developing the entrepreneurial skills of young adults.

  • July 2023 Mini-Grant Awards 2

    Congratulations to the grantees of the second round of funding through the “Our State, Our Work” innovation grants!

  • July 2023 Forum Four

    Driving to 2025: Achieving Our Goal of Reaching 6,400 Youth

    Eighty-nine collaborative members gathered in local clusters in their communities on July 19 to attend the first “Our State, Our Work” (OSOW) hybrid forum.” With less than six months left in the official program, teams considered plans for sustainability in terms of funding, capacity, data, and reporting practices, working groups, and more.

  • November 2023 Forum 5

    Our State, Our Work teams held a Statewide Summit on Re-engaging Opportunity Youth on Nov. 29 as part of their fifth and final forum. Find event information and resources on the Summit event site.