Big Thought

We're excited to collaborate with Vickery Meadow Youth Development Foundation on this opportunity for middle school and high school students. This free event will allow students and families to engage with colleges on-site and explore future career paths, helping to set them up for long-term success.

Ania, Angelica, and Dream represented Big Thought in Washington DC to speak on behalf of Opportunity Youth, advocating for legislators to join the Bipartisan Opportunity Youth Caucus and supporting the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which supports Opportunity Youth programs. We’re proud of this team and *all* the youth from across the country who came together. Let’s give them their flowers 💐⬇️

Celebrate a new chapter for Big Thought with a night of creativity, community, and inspiration. We’ll welcome our new CEO, Erin Offord, and honor Byron Sanders. Plus, we’ll enjoy interactive art, delicious food, and good company. RSVP at https://bit.ly/47HxZol to join us on October 10.

Our Big Thought Institute team is exhibiting at #txEDCON24 September 27-29 in San Antonio! Be sure to stop by and say hello in the Exhibit Hall at booth 1642. Learn more at tasa.tasb.org

Our CEO Erin Offord was recently featured in D CEO, where she shared about her background, her personal and family history of civic leadership, and her perspective on the future of Big Thought. Reflecting on the start of her journey with the organization over 20 years ago, Erin noted, "I felt like I was home. My work in Dallas wrapped up all of my values in the way that I could appreciate culture and support community." Thank you to D CEO for highlighting Erin’s story and her commitment to amplifying Big Thought's impact. Check out the article at https://bit.ly/47wi3oV

We’re excited and honored to join Education Reimagined's Learner-Centered Ecosystem Lab alongside 11 other communities! Over the next year, we’ll collaborate to reshape learning experiences, build community visions, address key equitable infrastructure challenges, and seek to build new systems to seize opportunities for learners within our community.

It’s North Texas Giving Day! ✨ Your donation will help us provide experiences where youth discover their own creativity, build on their skills, and design their future. Give today to support Creative Solutions and Big Thought programs like it: https://bit.ly/4gtBsed #NorthTexasGivingDay2024

During Erin’s 20+ years at Big Thought, her deep commitment to our mission and to our communities has been evident. From shaping programs and building strong partnerships, she’s supported the organization’s evolution. Recently, she shared with our staff about her journey at Big Thought and the opportunity for connecting the last two decades of Big Thought’s work to an exciting new chapter.

We are thrilled to announce that Erin Offord has been appointed as our new CEO! As a 20-year veteran of Big Thought, Erin has been instrumental in driving our mission forward. Known for her profound impact both within the organization and across the DFW community, Erin has always been a visionary leader. We are excited to continue our mission under Erin’s leadership, building on the strategic foundation laid by Byron Sanders. Join us in welcoming Erin into this new role! To learn more about Erin's journey, visit https://bit.ly/3zgrXhK

Last week, Big Thought, in partnership with our friends at Amazon, unveiled the latest issue in Current Issues in Out of School Time, Built for More: The Role of Out-of-School Time in Preparing Youth for the Future of Work. A big thanks to our panelists, Jarrad Toussant from Dallas Regional Chamber, Chike Aguh from The Project on Workforce at Harvard, Craig von Collenberg from Amazon Web Services (AWS), armando banchs from Big Thought, and our moderator Will Maddox from D Magazine for sharing their knowledge and insights, and to Vickie Yakunin at Amazon for sponsoring this event and believing in the importance of this conversation around the future of work.