By Kate Scriven
Most people agree keeping kids safe in our community is a top priority. A childhood including a nurturing family, housing stability, adequate food, and a sense of purpose and place for the child is a hallmark of future success. In fact, it’s not just something that we know in our hearts, but it has been proven out through extensive studies and research – a stable childhood is a predictor of a stable adulthood.
Here in Thurston County there are a large number of community groups, government agencies, and private non-profit service providers striving daily to ensure our most vulnerable citizens receive the care and resources to meet these essential needs. Sadly, many children still live in environments that are less than ideal.
One problem encountered by groups serving these children is lack of resources, coordination and structure. The stumbling blocks could be as simple as not having funding for a permanent building space. Maybe the paperwork necessary to keep the doors open is overwhelming to the volunteers trying to help kids. Whatever the reason, simple logistics can prevent achieving the group’s goals.
To address this problem, Olympia’s Northwest Venture Philanthropy (NWVP) has been working with local groups to create cohesiveness using the concept of Collective Impact. NWVP’s founder Liz Davis explains how this idea addresses the needs of Thurston County’s children and youth. “There are five hallmarks for groups looking to work together to create social change – a common agenda, a shared measurement system, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication, and backbone support. If disparate groups can come together in these five areas, sharing resources, leadership and systems, their ability to create change is vastly increased.”
Davis goes on to explain that “venture philanthropy” is a concept taken from the corporate world where dollars from private business flow in to fund new start-ups, the investors hoping to turn a profit by supporting a promising company. Venture philanthropy follows the same pattern, except instead of the private dollars investing in a for-profit venture, the money supports the work of non-profit social agencies working to improve the lives and futures of those in the greater community. Each of us are stakeholders in the health and vitality of our community and the profit from investing is the increased health of the entire community.
The concept, therefore, of collective impact, partnered with venture philanthropy is a powerful tool to further the work of the numerous social agencies currently working independently. It has the ability to allow these groups working in concert toward common goals and utilizing shared resources, increasing the chances of success exponentially.
One group working with Davis is the umbrella organization Thurston Thrives. Founded by the Thurston County Board of Health in 2013, Thurston Thrives aims to bring together community groups in an effort to impact the overall health of Thurston County. The Thurston Thrives Child and Youth Resilience Team works specifically to reduce Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), including neglect or abuse, homelessness, drug abuse, divorce, and incarceration, and increase resiliency in families and youth. The group is led by Thurston County Commissioner Sandra Romero who is passionate about advocating for our youth.
“Without the policy support given by Commissioner Romero and Thurston Thrives, the work of the Summit and NWVP couldn’t go forward,” shares Davis. “She is a champion for children in our community.”
To help create these connections and increase efficacy, Northwest Venture Philanthropy has partnered with the Junior League of Olympia to host the second annual Community Summit. The Summit brings together stakeholders in the area of child and youth welfare for a day of collaborative discussion and learning, leading to partnerships furthering the common goal of healthy kids.
The Summit is free and open to anyone interested in discussing the challenges facing youth, reducing ACEs and increasing resiliency of families – their ability to bounce back after challenging circumstances – through support services, interventions, and collaborative efforts.
When asked how she became so passionate about her work for Thurston County’s youth, Davis explains that it started at a young age. “My mother was a founding member of the Junior League of Olympia in 1987 and her ethic of service impacted me at a young age. I joined JLO in 2002 and was drawn to their focus on prevention of child abuse and neglect.”
Davis was also a high school teacher at River Ridge in Lacey. She worked with students on “credit retrieval” – completing classes that were missed during extended absences, often due to pregnancy, visits to rehab or incarceration. “I kept thinking, as I helped these kids, what if I could have started helping them when they were younger. Would they be here now?”
Northwest Venture Philanthropy’s clear vision for a coordinated, funded, and collective effort by local groups, using such venues as the upcoming Community Summit, will go far in helping Thurston County youth find successful, bright futures no matter their circumstances.
The 2014 Junior League Community Summit – Resilient Children, Resilient Communities – will be held Saturday, May 3 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Capital Events Center in Tumwater and includes breakfast and lunch. Attendance is free but space is limited. Click here for more details and to register.
