Baltimore Children & Youth Fund's Opening Plenaries Bring Cross-City Lessons Home to Strengthen Baltimore's Youth Master Plan
Learning Experiences in Harlem, Philadelphia, Oakland, and Baltimore Connected More Than 30 Grantee Organizations, Youth Leaders, and Community Partners to Proven Models of Public Investment, Youth Voice, and Community-Led Systems, Bringing Those Lessons Directly to Bear on Baltimore's Future
Baltimore, MD, July 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Baltimore Children & Youth Fund (BCYF) recently concluded its 2026 Opening Plenaries series, bringing together more than 30 grantee organizations, youth leaders, and community partners for a structured series of cross-city learning experiences designed to directly inform Baltimore’s first-ever Youth Master Plan. Participants examined how communities in Harlem, Philadelphia, Oakland, and Baltimore have built and sustained public investment in young people, then returned home to apply those lessons to the decisions Baltimore is making right now.
The Opening Plenaries are part of BCYF’s learning lab, a year-round professional learning journey designed to strengthen Baltimore’s youth-serving ecosystem. Each city visit was purposefully structured around a specific dimension of youth investment—Philadelphia for models of sustainable public funding, Oakland as the direct inspiration for BCYF’s own creation, Harlem for its generations-deep tradition of community-rooted systems, and Baltimore as the lens through which all of those lessons would ultimately be applied. Across every plenary, participants connected directly with practitioners, policymakers, and peer organizations, and documented insights now being translated into recommendations for Baltimore’s Youth Master Plan.
Participants are returning with concrete examples of how other cities fund youth-serving work, elevate youth voice, and build stronger community-led systems,” said Alysia Lee, President and CEO of the Baltimore Children & Youth Fund. “That insight will help sharpen the choices Baltimore makes as the Youth Master Plan takes shape.”
Harlem: Community-Rooted Youth Investment as a Model for Baltimore
In Harlem, participants connected with organizations that have sustained youth investment across generations through deep community ownership and studied the structural conditions making that possible. The plenary examined how place-based strategies can honor neighborhood identity while building the infrastructure young people need to thrive.
“In Harlem, we saw how powerful it is when a community’s history, identity, and leadership are treated as assets in the work of supporting young people,” said Raiana Davis, Program Director of The Be. Org. “That is the kind of standard Baltimore’s Youth Master Plan should meet: one that listens to young people, reflects the communities they come from, and builds systems that help them see more possibilities for their future.”
Philadelphia: Sustainable Public Investment and Long-Term Accountability
In Philadelphia, participants studied how long-term public funding streams and accountability structures can support youth-serving organizations over time, including lessons from the city’s sugary beverage tax model and its implications for governance, equity, and sustained community investment. Grantees examined governance structures, community oversight mechanisms, and the policy decisions that have allowed Philadelphia to maintain consistent investment in young people across administrations.
“Philadelphia showed us that good intentions alone are not enough to sustain youth investment. If we truly want young people to have access to meaningful opportunities, mentorship, workforce development, and pathways to success, we must build systems that are stable, consistent, and adequately funded,” said Brandon Clayton, Executive Director of Young Successful Leaders Inc. “Baltimore needs long-term investment, accountability, and a citywide commitment to youth that extends beyond any single grant cycle, political administration, or short-term initiative. Our young people deserve programs and resources they can depend on—not just today, but for years to come.”
Oakland: A Blueprint for Community-Led Youth Funding
The Oakland Fund for Children & Youth directly inspired the creation of BCYF. In Oakland, the plenary connected Baltimore participants back to a foundational model while examining how community leadership, public funding, and youth-centered systems can work together. Participants explored how Oakland has sustained that model across decades through the Oakland Children’s Initiative, Rise East, the East Oakland Youth Development Center, First 5 Alameda County, Parent Voices Oakland, Oakland Thrives, and the East Bay Asian Youth Center.
“Oakland stood out because young people and community members were treated as decision-makers, not just recipients of services,” said Corin “Tiny” Adams, Co-Founder and CEO of Leader Breeders. “Being able to learn from organizations with years of experience was both refreshing and reassuring, and it reminded me that the right partnerships can help us build a stronger youth development ecosystem in Baltimore. That is an important lesson for Baltimore as the Youth Master Plan takes shape: the people closest to the challenges should have a meaningful role in designing the solutions.”
Baltimore: The City as a Classroom
The final plenary brought the series full circle as its own structured learning experience rooted in Baltimore itself. Participants traveled by historic streetcar through the city’s neighborhoods, visited sites including Carroll Park, the Lillie Carroll Jackson Museum, and Camp Carroll, and engaged directly with the history that continues to shape Baltimore’s present-day systems and opportunities for young people.
As we moved through Baltimore together as a cohort, taking in our city's history, neighborhoods, and people, my conviction that healing and investment must happen together only deepened. I was reminded that trauma lives not only in our stories but also in our bodies, which is why dance and movement-based healing are such powerful tools for restoration, resilience, and self-expression. This understanding reinforces the importance of our commitment to providing innovative, trauma-informed programs, resources, and safe spaces that address the unique needs of survivors and underserved youth,” said Amaya Weston, Site Manager and BAD Ballet Performer of Ballet After Dark. “The Youth Master Plan must be more than a promise—it must be a commitment that Baltimore will champion young people by investing in their healing, well-being, and future.”
Alongside the Opening Plenaries, BCYF staff and grantee youth leaders also attended this year’s SXSW EDU in Austin, Texas, one of the nation’s leading gatherings on education, youth development, and equity, elevating Baltimore’s youth development work on a national platform and bringing forward-thinking strategies back home.
About the Baltimore Children & Youth Fund
The Baltimore Children & Youth Fund (BCYF) is a nonprofit, city-funded initiative dedicated to improving the lives of young people across Baltimore. BCYF employs a dual investment strategy—pairing direct funding for youth-serving organizations with training and learning supports that promote long-term sustainability and strengthen Baltimore's youth ecosystem. Through this approach, BCYF delivers vital financial and educational resources to community-based organizations in education, health, safety, and enrichment, ensuring every young person has access to the opportunities they need to thrive. To learn more, visit http://www.bcyfund.org.
Brandon Hansen Baltimore Children & Youth Fund 410-505-8459 comms@bcyfund.org
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