Together for Children (TFC) is a preventative approach to break the cycle of youth violence in Miami-Dade. It is the long-term sustainable strategy to address the root causes of youth violence.....
Evolution of Together for Children
April 2016 –
August 2016
Initial Partners Join Forces Together for Children:
A gathering at the historic Hampton House in the Brownsville neighborhood of Miami began a series of meetings of initial partners including Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Miami-Dade County, The Children’s Trust and others to have a candid conversation, determining if there existed any duplication or gaps in services provided by the initial partners to prevent youth violence, and to commit to do more.
September 2016 – October 2016
Community Invitation to Work Together for Children:
Following a public invitation to the communities identified as within Together for Children zip codes, based on the historically highest incidents of youth arrest; hundreds of community members attended public forums in the North, Central, and South areas of Miami-Dade County, focused on tackling the root causes of youth violence. Attendees included initial partners, parents, youth, community-based organizations, leaders of faith-based institutions, law enforcement and staff members of initial partner organizations.
October 2016 –
January 2017
Together for Children Coalitions Continue to Work:
Throughout Miami-Dade County, large groups and small groups met frequently to begin to work together to develop the framework for what would become their Neighborhood Action Plans. Hundreds of young people and parents were also surveyed for their ideas and perspective on the solutions to prevent youth violence.
January 2017 –
October 2017
Coalition Working Groups Develop Neighborhood Action Plans:
Each Together for Children coalition began to solidify, and self-identified as the following: Miami Gardens, Northeast Corridor, Liberty City, Overtown, Perrine-Goulds-Richmond Heights, and Homestead-Florida City-Naranja. All coalitions met frequently to develop their Neighborhood Action Plans which focus on tackling the root causes of youth violence by Strengthening Families, Empowering Youth, and Protecting Youth. Each coalition outlined distinct strategies and action steps to accomplish those goals.
October 2017 -
December 2017
Working Groups Assign Committees to Plan
Outcomes:
In an organized, cohesive effort to implement each of the strategies listed in each coalition’s action plan, committees were formed, assigning a smaller contingent of coalition members to focus intently on those areas. Examples of the committees include Parent Engagement and Leadership, Out-of- School Programming, Youth Internships and Workforce Development, Mentoring, Trauma-Informed Care, and the Referral and Family Case Management system developed as a collaboration between Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Miami-Dade County and The Children’s Trust.
December 2017 – February 2018
Coalitions Work Together to Apply for Grant Funding:
Each Together for Children coalition worked collaboratively, in an open and unprecedented way directly with initial partners, to apply for millions of dollars in funding from The Children’s Trust for out-of- school programming funding, as well as parent engagement and leadership. The recipients of these funding opportunities are expected to be announced in the Spring.
Present Day
Together for Children Referral and Family Engagement System in Place and Coalitions
Continue Work:
The continued, long-term work of the Together for Children Referral and Family Engagement System continues; as does each coalition’s work to continually refine the outcomes, strategies, action steps, and measurable results of each neighborhood action plan. At the same time, they work together to establish connections, identify gaps that may exist, and together work to protect and empower youth.
Countywide Together for Children Calendar
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