A statewide summit that gives critical supporters across the state insights into the work, research, progress, and lived experiences of Opportunity Youth (16-24-year-olds who are both not working and not in school) in North Carolina. This convening offers an opportunity to center their experiences, learn how to engage in this work, reimagine outcomes for these young people and explore what this will mean for communities and their economic development, workforce readiness, health, and more.

Check-in at the registration table and join us for a continental breakfast before the Summit begins.

The youth here today have achieved impressive accomplishments in their personal and professional lives. Starting off the day with a reminder of the pride and confidence our state has in them, UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz presents certificates to the young people attending the events with teams to recognize their work and achievements. North Carolina Community College System President Jeff Cox presents a second certificate to youth attendees, surprising them with an exciting announcement.

ncIMPACT Director, Gladys Hall Coates Distinguished Professor of Public Law and Government, and UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives Anita Brown-Graham shares an overview of the “Our State, Our Work” program, lessons learned, and hopes for the day. Brown-Graham will share an overview of barriers faced by this population, what systems are implicated in their disconnection from school and work, and how these systems can work more effectively to serve Opportunity Youth and prevent young people from becoming disconnected from school and work.

Over the past 18 months, local cross-sector collaborative “Our State, Our Work” teams have made great strides to build local support, organize their resources, and find creative ways to connect with Opportunity Youth. Now, they’re ready to share this learning with you!

During this time, attendees are invited to interact with the teams as they present “storyboard” style posters, providing an overview of their work and impact across the state, their experiences, and learnings from the “Our State, Our Work” cohort experience, and detail how folks from across the state can plug into their work and amplify their impact.

Marcella Middleton is the CEO of “A Way Home America,” a housing justice advocacy organization led by youth and young adults with lived expertise. She also has lived experience with youth-serving systems, which guides and informs her work.

During this youth-only session, Marcella provides coaching and feedback for youth attendees so that they can identify, work towards, and achieve their personal and professional goals.

Following the overview of the teams provided by the storyboard activity, attendees will have a chance to receive a more in-depth look at the teams’ 18-month engagement as part of the “Our State, Our Work” cohort and learn from their local work and impact. “Our State, Our Work” teams will lead in-depth panel discussions focused on the following topics: innovations for reaching and engaging Opportunity Youth, employer engagement, and findings from local focus groups with young people, employer, and service providers. Attendees will be invited to select one breakout room to participate in for the duration of the session and will have ample opportunity to ask questions of the panelists.

What can we learn together about how Opportunity Youth in NC are recovering from the pandemic? Nathan Dollar, Carolina Demography Director, and Laura Ullrich, Senior Regional Economist at Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, provide an update on Opportunity Youth state-level data trends and their implications.

Amiyah Davis, Program Manager at the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and Presidential Appointee to The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency prevention Board, inspires attendees with lunchtime comments about the importance of centering young people in movements meant to serve them.

A panel of Opportunity Youth provides insights on their successes, what helped them overcome systemic barriers, and what they hope service providers take into their work following the event so that they can better serve this population. 

The panel will be moderated by Jasmine Johnson BSW, MA, and Roe Htoo, Summer Careers Academy alum. The audience is encouraged to submit questions throughout the panel. 

In addition to the work of the “Our State, Our Work” teams, what existing and emerging efforts exist in North Carolina to re-engage Opportunity Youth in school and work? Attendees are invited to participate in two breakout sessions to learn about both findings from research and work to implement this knowledge.

Attendees self-select into breakout rooms in their desired order.

Breakout #1: 2-2:35pm
Transition time: 2:35-2:40pm
Breakout #2: 2:40-3:15pm  

Mary Ann Haley, Director of the National Youth Employment Coalition, a NCGA representative (TBD) Chris Suggs, Kinston City Councilman and youngest councilperson in the state, and Kevin Austin, Yadkin County Commissioner and former President of the North Carolina Associate of County Commissioners will share their nation-, state-, county- and city-level perspectives and experiences on the policies that create barriers or engender success for young people to remain connected, or reconnect, to school and work. 

The panel is moderated by Anita Brown-Graham, and the audience is encouraged to submit questions throughout the panel. 

The “Our State, Our Work” teams have set an ambitious goal to reach 6,400 Opportunity Youth by 2025. If they reach this goal, how will this reconnection to school and work affect not just the youth themselves, but also their children, families, and communities? Abigail Holdsclaw, ncIMPACT Research Associate, challenges the audience to think big, get creative, and dig their heels into this work. 

Anita Brown-Graham closes North Carolina’s first statewide summit on North Carolina Opportunity Youth by reiterating the necessity of cross-sector collaboration to effectively address systemic barriers and reach Opportunity Youth. The day of learning and celebrating ends with a call to action as attendees leave the event with a renewed sense of how they fit into this work. 

Attendees are invited to a festive closing of the day’s activities!

Opening comments to be provided by Margaret Barrett, Associate Director of the Carolina Center for Public Service, and Fran Gary, Senior Vice President of Government Markets for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC).

Opportunity Youth are young adults ages 16 to 24 who are not enrolled in school and not working full or part time. These individuals are sometimes referred to as disconnected youth, however, at Carolina Across 100 we prefer “Opportunity Youth” because it captures our sense of optimism that all young people can thrive if we provide the systems, tools, and resources necessary for navigating this period of life.

Our hope is that, alongside our community teams, we can take these individual “stories of thriving” and create systems-level programming across the state that creates accessible on-ramps to education and employment.