I’ve been thinking about how we engage with partners and I had the following thought: What if organizations weren’t partners but rather organizational members of Youth Power Coalition? I think that’s more community-centric and breaks down the boundaries I sometimes feel when working with other organizations.
Here’s the example that made me think of this!
The New Economy Coalition just announced its new members! Welcome New NEC Members! - New Economy Coalition
They have this interest form to join: NEC Interest Form
Thank you for your interest in learning more about the New Economy Coalition! We look forward to learning more about your organization too.
Fill out the following form to indicate your interest in connecting with NEC and/or exploring membership in NEC. Please note that we consider new organizations for membership during a set period of each year, and we are currently not considering new organizations for membership until 2022. That being said, we encourage you to indicate your interest now. While we do not have the staff capacity to meet with every organization that reaches out to us this year we will read your form and follow up as soon as we can!
Sincerely,
NEC StaffPS. We invite you to follow NEC and engage with us on social media! We are always happy to amplify work that intersects with our mission.
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What do you all think?
We’ve consistently asked, what does it mean to be a Youth Power Coalition Partner? After years of discussion and learning, I updated our previous thinking about partners to now be clear that partners are partners building Youth Power Coalition together, not that partners are partnered with Youth Power Coalition as a separate entity. I’m imagining that there are two types of partners: Project Partners who are collaborating within a single project, and Mission Partners who govern Youth Power Coalition as a whole.
General Circle, Mission Circle, Outreach Partnership Alums, please take a look! I’d also love to test this out with two organizations I think would be perfect mission partners (and in many ways, are acting as mission partners already): the Provisional World Children’s Parliament and Peer Defense Project.
Project Partners
What do project partners do?
Project partners collaborate in Youth Power Coalition on individual projects.
How do we decide?
Each individual circle decides for themselves who its partner members are.
What’s an example?
Advocacy circle members joined Brotherhood Sister/Sol to host a NYC Mayoral Forum.
How do we communicate?
We communicate in different ways depending on the project. We may use the Youth Power Coalition slack and Hub, or we may use another platform - it all depends! It’s helpful to follow each other’s external comms channels.
Within Youth Power Coalition:
Write notes in Partner Notes so that everyone has the information needed to collaborate. This makes it easier to see connections between partners that seem to be a good fit for one another.
What are we accountable to?
Project partners within a single project are accountable to each other and to the vision, mission, values, and aims of Youth Power Coalition as a whole.
Mission Partners
What do mission partners do?
Mission partners build Youth Power Coalition’s core offerings together! We agree to reciprocally shared governance, members, resources, strategy, and growth and development. Where one goes we all go.
How do we decide?
Mission partners are consented to by the general circle and mission circle and by existing mission partners. Mission partners must be youth-led and committed to the 7Cs of Youth-Led Collective Impact.
What’s an example?
IntegrateNYC paid staff to build Youth Power Coalition across all areas, from Outreach Partnerships to Advocacy to the Mission Circle.
How do we communicate?
At least two mission partner members are also active Youth Power Coalition members. At least once a year mission partners meet to specifically review, revise, and renew our commitments to one another. We all communicate using Youth Power Coalition platforms.
Mission partners are invited to mission partner only convenings where we align on governance, members, resources, strategy, and growth and development. Mission partners also agree to explore each other’s existing purpose and aims in order to find places to collaborate and deduplicate. We can do more together than we can apart.
What are we accountable to?
We are accountable to each other’s vision, mission, and values organization wide, not just our specific interactions. For example, as Integrate NYC is a mission partner, and so all YPC mission partners are also committed to their 5Rs of Real Integration.
@saf @michael @erinac4163 @jadarichardson @Sneha @Far-Pritte @Obrian @aneth
I’ve added one more level of engagement that’s in between Project Partner and Mission Partner. This level is meant for partners who are supporters of Youth Power Coalition on a long-term basis. They always look for ways to build the network whether that means contributing volunteers, expertise, connections, opportunities, or money.
Movement Partners
What do movement partners do?
Movement partners agree to the 7Cs of Collective Impact. We are always looking for ways to contribute to the network whether that means contributing volunteers, expertise, connections, opportunities, or money. Together we make up the Relationship Network and Support Network.
How do we decide?
Individual circles nominate existing project partners to become movement partners. The membership circle consents.
What’s an example?
Educate LLC has hired Youth Power Coalition members to speak at an event. They are actively incorporating 7Cs into how they work. A staff member of Educate LLC is an active member of Youth Power Coalition as a member of our Youth Power Pack (our recurring donors support community).
How do we communicate?
Movement partners make it a point to participate in Youth Power Coalition’s community via events, online communications, and person-to-person conversations. We prioritize each other’s participation and community building. We’re in relationship with one another.
What are we accountable to?
Movement Partners are accountable to Youth Power Coalition mission, vision, and values.
Here’s an example from Dignity in Schools Campaign (recommended by Sarah C.)
The Dignity in Schools Campaign is a multi-stakeholder coalition made up of youth, parents, educators, grassroots groups, and policy and legal advocacy groups, which strives to ensure that those most affected by the education system and school pushout are at the center of our work and leadership structures. DSC’s Membership is structured to create a space for all to both contribute to the work and to benefit from the collective advancements of the coalition and local successes of its members. Additionally, members of the coalition have access to certain benefits and support.
See below for an overview of the coalition structure and decision-making, plus an outline of supports available to members of the DSC. Click here to download our full Membership and Decision-Making Policies.
Full membership application: https://dignityinschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/DSC_Membership_Application.pdf