Center for Youth Futures
Center For Youth Futures is Celebrating 5 Years!
Set aside your morning to gather for breakfast, storytelling, and framing futures together.
This business-casual gathering brings together community supporters to connect, share stories, and explore what’s ahead.
History is in the making, and we’d love for you to be part of it. Don’t miss this opportunity to build relationships, hear inspiring stories, and help shape future possibilities together.
What is Center for Youth Futures?
The affiliates of the Center for Youth futures aim to spark youth interest and build academic skills for post-secondary success by creating opportunities to be on campus, engage with research and industry, and interact with career and college mentors.
Mission of the Center
We collaborate strategically and purposefully with community and University partners for the greatest impact. Our programs are linked to span grades 4 to 12. Each program builds student academic understanding, emotional intelligence, and provides education and career pathway information. Through one-day, week-long, annual, and multi-year experiences, affiliate programs within the Center for Youth Futures offer youth a picture of what’s possible for their future.
Community Impact
The Center for Youth Futures ensures programs are focused on outcomes and track progress. Collectively, the Center for Youth Futures substantively serves over a thousand youth in formal and informal educational settings in the Greater Cincinnati region.
Some impacts to highlight:
96% of youth participants progress successfully to the next grade; graduate high school on time.
Over 40 community partners from across informal education, business, community organizations, and government work collectively for youth futures.
Over 100 pre-service and current teachers take advantage of professional development opportunities annually.
Programs & Affiliates
Bearcats Academy (BA)
Bearcats Academy (BA) is a multi-year mentoring program aimed to support Cincinnati (particularly CPS) students in becoming competitive college applicants. BA provides opportunities for high school students to have college experiences, engage with research, and interact with various careers and college disciplines.
Breakthrough Cincinnati (BTC)
Breakthrough Cincinnati (BTC) is a part of the Breakthrough Collaborative a national organization of 25 affiliates, aimed to increase educational opportunities. BTC has supported academically motivated middle school youth from the Cincinnati area on their path to college or over 30 years. In wanting to increase its impact, BTC began a partnership in 2016 with the Office of Education, Innovation, and Community Partnerships (EICP) within the CECH to offer rigorous, tuition-free, year-round academic enrichment on UC’s campus.
Greater Cincinnati Stem Collaborative
The Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative (GCSC) is the region’s K-12, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) focused organization that connects partners across education, business, and community sectors on behalf of students and families in the region.
UC Regional Science Day
This year's regional science fair was called the “Science and Engineering Expo” with a focus on hypothesis-based research or an engineering design project or even a data driven meta-analysis. The counties served were Hamilton, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Fyette, Highland, and Warren.
Upward Bound
Upward Bound is an integral program part of the CECH Center for Youth Futures. Upward Bound (UCUB), part of TRIO Programs, was created in 1964 by Cincinnati Mayor Theodore M. Berry to improve the representation of first-generation students on the nation’s college campuses. Within 56 years of service, UCUB has enormously impacted its participants by providing students with academic understanding, emotional intelligence, financial guidance, mentoring, and career exploration for overall lifetime success.
“Upward Bound has helped me to understand the importance of college and how serious it is. With the help of the program, I was able to successfully apply and get accepted into colleges and start the next chapter of my life.”
Brianna Casey Upward Bound Student
Partners and Investors
- Breakthrough Collaborative
- GEAR UP
- Federal TRIO Programs
- 1819 Innovation Hub
- OSLN
- NKU CINSAM
- Ohio Academy of Science
- MakerUSA
- Believe in Ohio
- Advanced Manufacturing Industry Partnership
- Makers and Mentors Network
- Center for Public Engagement with Science
- US Department of Education
- Ohio Department of Education
- P&G
- Duke Energy foundation
- University of Cincinnati
- Breakthrough Cincinnati
- Martha Holden Jennings Foundation
- Haile Foundation
- R.C. Durr Foundation
- Dater Foundation
- Jergens Foundation
- GE Aerospace Community Service Funds
- Individual donors
How to Help
Please consider volunteering, donating, or partnering with the Center for Youth Futures.
More Information
Contact:
Dr. Tiffany Dolder-Holland, Co-Director, Center for Youth Futures
Sean Kelley, Co-Director, Center for Youth Futures
Orville McDonald, Co-Director, Center for Youth Futures
The University of Cincinnati College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services, and Information Technology sponsors the Center for Youth Futures, providing resources so programs can effectively and efficiently deliver their services and expand their impact.