Forum Projects

The New Mexico Forum for Youth in Community (the Forum) is pleased to support a number of community development efforts around the state. The Forum’s primary focus has been in supporting “systems change” efforts (locally, regionally, statewide) to enhance community efforts with youth as valued contributors. Below is a partial listing of projects the Forum has supported since 2008.

Amy Biehl High School Service Learning and Community Engagement: The Forum has been working with Amy Biehl Charter High School in Albuquerque since October 2006. The focus of this project has been to support the school in designing and planning comprehensive service learning and community engagement opportunities for students, grades 9-12. The Forum staff continue to provide ABHS students with a number of youth engagement and leadership opportunities via the New Mexico Youth Alliance and the New Mexico Youth Violence Prevention Network.

Amy Biehl High School is also a partner organization for Public Allies New Mexico, a comprehensive leadership development initiative housed at the Forum which places young adults in community-based organizations as a support to their ongoing youth development activities. The Forum continues to provide ongoing training and technical assistance to the ABHS Community Engagement Team and school leadership in support of quality and excellence in secondary education.

Community Voices Project: With the philanthropic support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Forum is convening a series of community dialogues on youth education, family income/asset development, and racial equity in the social and philanthropic sector. The Community Voices Project focuses on six communities: Las Cruces/Dona Ana County, Hobbs/Eddy County, Clovis/Portales, Jemez Pueblo, Farmington/San Juan County, and Taos/Taos County.

Baseline data collection and convening's will also be conducted in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Additional emphasis will be on supporting racial equity for Hispanics (including immigrants), Native-Americans (Pueblo and Navajo), and African-Americans. Products from this effort will include community asset maps, community readiness assessments, community dialogues, community development plans, and additional analyses of the social and philanthropic sectors. The Community Voices Project is an ongoing, two-year effort extending through April 2011.

Dona Ana County Asset-Based Community Development: In partnership with the Dona Ana County Health and Human Services Department (HHS), the Forum has helped to establish a framework and design systems that implement asset-based community development on a county-wide basis – a comprehensive systems change effort. This effort has included design and implementation of a youth council for the Dona Ana County Youth Initiative, integration of positive youth development approaches in countywide supports for prevention efforts, and comprehensive training to County staff and leadership (including the Dona Ana Board of County Commissioners).

Training and Strategic Planning efforts are ongoing through 2010.

Dona Ana County Teen Pregnancy Prevention Working Group (TPPWG): The Forum and its staff have provided ongoing technical assistance, training, facilitation and strategic planning supports to the TPPWG since 2005. The TPPWG is a collaborative of more than 15 community-based organizations and health/medical institutions that focus on reducing teen pregnancy in Dona Ana County and southern New Mexico.

Elev8 New Mexico: With philanthropic assistance from the New Mexico Community Foundation and Atlantic Philanthropies, the Forum has supported the Elev8 New Mexico initiative, a four year pilot project that established comprehensive and integrated services in five middle schools throughout the state (in Albuquerque, Grant and Wilson middle schools, and the Native American Community Academy; Laguna Pueblo – Laguna Middle School; Anthony – Gadsden Middle School). The Elev8 New Mexico initiative established three focus areas, including extended-day learning opportunities, school-based health clinics, and key supports to families.

The Forum provided technical assistance and support during planning of initial integration efforts and continues to conduct focus groups with students, parents and teachers in the schools to support community feedback that build quality at all levels of the initiative. Additionally, the Forum helped inform statewide policy that supported the Elev8 New Mexico initiative. The project is ongoing through December 2009.

New Mexico Builders and Education Congress: The New Mexico Forum for Youth in Community is partnering with NMBEC to provide technical assistance and support in the development and opening of NMBEC’s charter high school focusing on architecture and construction trades. The charter school is a new effort and will also host a member of Public Allies New Mexico as part of their agreement with the Forum. The project is ongoing through 2010.

New Mexico Men’s Council for Boys and Young Men: In partnership with the Santa Fe Boys Fund, the Forum provided facilitation, planning and technical supports to establish the New Mexico Men’s Council for Boys and Young Men, and statewide entity focusing education, health, and well-being of boys and young men.

Project Peacepal: The New Mexico Forum for Youth in Community has been supporting Project Peacepal since December of 2007. The efforts have centered on organizational development supports, namely strategic planning, resource development, and Board development (including training of Directors). Organizational development supports with Project Peacepal are ongoing.

Taskforce for Immigrant Advocacy and Services, Southern New Mexico (TIAS-NM): With the philanthropic support of the New Mexico Community Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Forum has provided comprehensive organizational development supports to help establish a collaborative of providers in southern New Mexico. The taskforce was established to support immigrant youth and families and build a unified vision for connecting immigrants to comprehensive community development efforts. Planning and facilitation activities are ongoing and schedule to continue through the end of 2009.