Rather than trying to find a “silver bullet” program to address the challenges youth face around the world, Bill Reese, president of the Baltimore-based International Youth Foundation, said he believes time and money are better spent on existing programs around the globe that have already proven they have the potential for success.
And that has been the mission of the nonprofit that provides services to youth in 70 countries for the past 16 years.
“We?re trying to scale up things that work ? the best practices programs,” Reese said. “What we think the world needs is to invest more over the long-term to bring sustainability to things that work.”
Reese said that his organization focuses on four areas in helping youth become productive, successful adults: education, health, citizenship and employability.
The nonprofit identifies programs or organizations, primarily outside of the United States, that focus on helping youth in these areas. It then dedicates funding and provides guidance to help the programs succeed. The nonprofit receives about half of its funding from global corporations and the other half from development agencies. Its annual budget is about $20 million.
One of its recent initiatives that Reese considers a major success involved bringing computer literacy to middle school and high school students in Latin America. Through partnerships with agencies in the Latin American countries, the nonprofit was able to teach computer skills to more than 27,900 students, 50 percent of whom have been placed in profitable jobs.
“At the end of the day, youth isn?t a goal, it?s a transition we passthrough and you want young people to join the work force and join the community who are well-trained,” Reese said. “We call it positive youth development … looking at children as assets to our community rather than problems.”
Doug Becker, chairman and chief executive officer of Baltimore-based Laureate Education, said that his company has partnered with the International Youth Foundation to further its Youth Action Net program that identifies and supports emerging nonprofit youth organizations in developing countries. Specifically, Laureate has been given the task of building the program in Mexico.
“Most of our revenues are from outside of the U.S., and we?re looking for ways to give back to those parts of the world,” said Becker, who is also chairman-elect of the nonprofit?s board. “The idea that right here in Baltimore there is a nonprofit foundation whose whole purpose is to improve condition for youth in the developing word makes for a really great partnership for us.”
Contact the nonprofit
» 32 South St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-951-1500
www.iyfnet.org
