Orange County NC Website
Attachment A 6 <br /> PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP <br /> YOUTH INITIATIVES <br /> 1995 <br /> Following the October, 1994 trip to Bloomington, Indiana, The Public Private Partnership <br /> of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Orange County has initiated three community-building <br /> efforts involving youth and youth-serving resources:Each involves the exploration and <br /> demonstration of how different and separate resources in the community can work <br /> together to achieve better results for Orange County youth. Each of the initiatives also <br /> reflects a partnership among the University, local governments, and local businesses. <br /> Project Green Bananas is an Orange County government/UNC-Chapel Hill School Of <br /> Social Work opportunity to examine ways in which youth-serving agencies currently are <br /> collaborating with each other and ways in which such collaboration may be enhanced. The <br /> term "green bananas" was introduced by UNC's Frank Loda during the PPP trip to signify <br /> the urgency of the community acting now rather than later in maximizing our resources for <br /> successful young adults in Orange County. The Orange County community is blessed <br /> with a large variety of youth-serving resources. For many people, however, there is the <br /> perception that these resources may be uncoordinated, duplicative, inefficient, and <br /> ineffective in producing desired outcomes. Our examination, however, reveals that there is <br /> an impressive degree of youth-serving agencies and programs working together and <br /> sharing resources to yield very positive results. This project hopes to showcase these <br /> successes, in addition to identifying ways to improve collaboration. <br /> Project Productivity and Citizenship Enhancement is a private business/public <br /> schools/UNC School of Education initiative that focuses on the creation of opportunities <br /> for youth to have a successful transition from school to the world of work. The project <br /> builds upon the existing efforts of the community's two school systems and the Triangle <br /> Workforce Information Group. The goal of this initiative will be to explore ways to <br /> enhance the outcomes of the many community programs that are currently involved in <br /> youth work apprenticeship, tutoring, and service Ieaming. The nature of work and its <br /> participatory requirements are changing dramatically. How a community prepares its <br /> youth for participation in its economic life has become a priority for most American <br /> communities. This project will develop action planning to address this issue. <br /> A third PPP-sponsored initiative will be a Youth Forum to be held in the Fall. This effort <br /> is being planned in conjunction with the two high schools in Orange County and other <br /> youth related structures. The Forum will provide an opportunity for youth representatives <br /> to develop and present their agendas at a "community table". Details of the Forum will be <br /> announced during the Summer. <br /> Dr. Philip W. Cooke April 5, 1995 <br />