Milwaukee’s 16 Community Schools not only provide a variety of opportunities and resources, but they also ensure students have a seat at the table and ownership over their own education.

The final Youth Forward MKE meeting of the year concluded with a hopeful look forward into 2023.

“We started Youth Justice Milwaukee to say we have to do better,” said Sharlen Moore. “We have to advocate for young people, especially those that are most vulnerable, and just do better in our youth justice system.”

During their final meeting of the year, Youth Forward MKE highlighted two local organizations who are currently demonstrating what it looks like to authentically partner with youth: Youth Justice Milwaukee and the United Way Community Schools Partnership.

Two young leaders joined the September 28 Coalition meeting to represent MENTOR Greater Milwaukee. Over the summer, they worked to build relationships and advocate for mentoring, in addition to planning the inaugural Youth Voice Summit.

Naturally, the September 28 Coalition meeting ended with a question: How can we be more intentional in lifting up and utilizing youth voice and leadership?

Led by our Ambassadors, the Coalition gave funding to four organizations across the city in order to increase access to mental health supports and create more equitable and inclusive school environments.

At the September 28 Youth Forward MKE Coalition Meeting, Strategic Initiatives Manager Clintel Hasan provided an update on the status of the proposals. Thanks in part to a $25,000 Violence Prevention Grant from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Proposal 1 is officially underway!

Three such young leaders were on hand during the September 28 Coalition meeting to talk about their formative experiences with PEAK and the skills they’ve learned along the way.

This quarter, Youth Forward MKE explored what true youth leadership looks like and how adults can best support youth-driven strategies. Plus, we provided updates on the rollout of our Design Your Future proposals and Violence Prevention Grants.

MENTOR Greater Milwaukee’s first ever Youth Voice Summit, sponsored in part by Milwaukee Succeeds, provided a space for youth to talk about today’s issues - and even garnered local media attention.

David Emmanuelle Castillo, who’s taken the lead in creating implementation plans for last summer’s youth-generated Design Your Future proposals, provided an update during Youth Forward MKE’s summer meeting.

MPS students have made it clear that relationships are essential for Milwaukee’s youth – and MENTOR Greater Milwaukee is working to build and strengthen such relationships across the city.

This year, Milwaukee Succeeds partnered with MPS around their Youth Leadership Summit and Student Discipline Committees to better understand and address the challenges youth are facing. The resulting Student Voice Project revealed students’ perceptions on school culture, relationships and discipline.

Check out the full video to explore the results from the recent Student Voice Project, learn more about the work of our partner organization MENTOR Greater Milwaukee, and get an update on last summer's youth-created Design Your Future proposals.

Join youth leaders, adult co-leads and partners from across Milwaukee as we discuss our plans, progress and ideas. The public is encouraged to attend to learn more about this unique initiative - and discover how they can get involved.

Youth Forward MKE, the youth-driven coalition formed by Milwaukee Succeeds, officially launched on March 23, with 60 of Milwaukee’s youth and adult leaders in attendance.

The Youth Forward MKE Coalition is officially kicking off on March 23 - and we want you there with us! Join us via Zoom to learn about the Coalition, what we're doing and why.