Annie E. Casey Foundation

Since the start of the cen­tu­ry — when the turnout rate was just 36% in 2000 — the youth vote has gen­er­al­ly trend­ed upward in pres­i­den­tial elec­tions. Youth civic engage­ment activists and lead­ers are work­ing hard to main­tain this momen­tum in 2024.

My colleague Bethany and I are proud to share recent news coverage of the work our grantee partners at the Morehouse School of Medicine are doing to integrate gun violence data into their Health Equity Tracker to mobilize around the issue. The tracker now features national and local data portraits and visualizations of youth and intersectional gun violence-related outcomes by race and gender. In integrating the data, they engaged experts representing academic institutions, nonprofits, other organizations, and young leaders in a workshop to make the tracker more accessible, applied, and equitable. In partnership with 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc., the Morehouse School of Medicine organized a pre-symposium on Violence Prevention in September. Learn more about the Health Equity Tracker here: https://lnkd.in/eVdUmhEa

Every state in Amer­i­ca has chil­dren liv­ing in pover­ty, but high­er rates exist in the south­ern region, as well as in rur­al areas and urban neigh­bor­hoods of con­cen­trat­ed poverty. See the child poverty rate in your state:

“The perception of youth crime being, ‘out of control,’ and young people driving an outside share of crime and violence just does not align with the data… Not only are young people such a small percentage of those who were arrested and involved in the system overall, but they’re more likely to be victims than they are perpetrators of harm." - Heather Warnken, University of Baltimore School of Law

Our KIDS COUNT® state partners gathered together last week for our annual KIDS COUNT Data Institute. These network members provide essential state-level data to track the well-being of children in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia. Over three days, participants shared best practices for data collection and visualization and discussed how to convey the importance of data to help leaders make evidence-based decisions to help kids and families. Learn more about KIDS COUNT: https://lnkd.in/eUF5KPU7

Through Truth Telling Circles, youth who’ve been in fos­ter care share their expe­ri­ences with those who can influ­ence change — child wel­fare lead­ers, case­work­ers and direct care staff.

Justice agencies are increasingly engaging people with direct, firsthand experience of the justice system to serve as mentors and credible messengers to young people on probation.

Our bold vision for affordable housing is moving forward, and we couldn’t do it without the support of our community and partners. The Results Count approach from the Annie E. Casey Foundation has guided us, with its focus on collaboration, equity, and data-driven goals to track our progress. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/g3dXmke7 

Join us on Instagram on October 29 for a live conversation about how young peo­ple and adults can work better togeth­er to improve their com­mu­ni­ties. Jasmine Bernard and Eritrea Temesghen of BRIDGES will join Casey’s Traci Broady to share strategies to empower youth, balance power dynamics and build effective youth-adult partnerships. We’ll also discuss the resources that organizations need for successful engagement. Follow @annieecaseyfdn on Instagram to stay updated: https://lnkd.in/gB5DS2Vi

Parents with disabilities are more likely than other parents to interact with the child welfare system, even though there is little evidence they abuse or neglect their children at higher rates than anyone else. https://lnkd.in/gtyE8hs6