Dallas Youth Safety Collaborative
Lone Star Justice Alliance rolled out the Youth Services Collaborative (YSC) Strategic Plan this week. As a key contributor to the YSC Strategic Plan, my role has been both immersive and multifaceted, involving deep engagement with the community and meticulous research to craft a transformative vision for Dallas youth. From attending community workgroups and sifting through hundreds of sticky notes and meeting pages to conducting extensive research on evidence-based best practices and the historical impacts of redlining, I’ve sought to understand the root causes of inequities that persist in certain Dallas neighborhoods today. By interviewing stakeholders and synthesizing community input with my LSJA partners, I developed actionable goals, strategic initiatives, and best practices that align with the needs and aspirations of those the plan will serve. This process culminated in the creation of a comprehensive five-year implementation timeline, with clear desired outcomes, benchmarks, and metrics to evaluate progress, ensuring accountability and measurable impact.
The Youth Services Collaborative (YSC) Strategic Plan was born from a vision to create meaningful, measurable change for Dallas youth. Recognizing the challenges facing our community—rooted in systemic inequities, lack of resources, and historical injustices—the plan serves as a roadmap to improve outcomes for young people, particularly those in neighborhoods disproportionately affected by poverty, crime, and limited opportunities. It is a response to urgent needs and a commitment to building a brighter, more equitable future.
Why Was the YSC Strategic Plan Drafted?
The strategic plan addresses deep-seated disparities that impact youth in Dallas. Historical practices like redlining have left certain neighborhoods underserved for generations, as evidenced by maps showing correlations between historical redlining, a 2019 socioneeds index, and a 2023 map of life expectancy by zip code. These maps illustrate that the same areas continue to struggle with poverty, limited access to education and healthcare, and higher rates of crime. For young people in these neighborhoods, opportunities for growth, safety, and success are far too limited. In addition to these systemic issues, the detainment of youth in the juvenile justice arena has come under fire for unaddressed conditions alleged to be unconstitutional at Dallas county facilities.
The YSC Strategic Plan was crafted to tackle these challenges head-on by identifying key focus areas and outlining actionable steps to create a positive impact. It provides a comprehensive approach to address inequities, empower communities, and support youth in achieving their potential.
The plan is anchored in core values established by the collaborative and the idea that to be successful in serving all Dallas youth, the concept of “the village” has to be embraced: it takes everyone to solve the current problems and move forward in a way that prevents them from continuance. Workgroups tackled education, leadership and mentorship, youth justice, and ecoystem and infrastructure. These became the four cornerstones of the plan.
Highlights of the YSC Strategic Plan
Education and Empowerment
Focus on increasing access to quality education and supporting young people through tutoring, mentoring, and establishing schools as community hubs.
Promote skill-building initiatives to prepare youth for higher education and workforce opportunities.
Leadership Development and Monitoring
Create pathways for youth leadership and civic engagement, empowering young people to advocate for themselves and their communities.
Establish data-driven monitoring systems to measure progress and ensure accountability.
Ecosystem Building and Infrastructure
Strengthen collaboration among stakeholders, including schools, non-profits, healthcare providers, and community organizations.
Invest in infrastructure that supports safe spaces for youth activities and services, ensuring every child has access to the resources they need.
Youth Justice Reform
Address systemic issues in the juvenile justice system and prioritize restorative justice approaches.
Increase transparency by using data collection and scoring systems to monitor compliance with justice reform principles.
Focus on Health and Well-Being
Partner with health services to provide physical, mental, and emotional support for youth and their families.
Tackle food insecurity and housing instability to provide a strong foundation for long-term success.
A Community Effort
The YSC Strategic Plan is more than a document—it’s a call to action for every stakeholder in Dallas. Collaboration is at its core, urging local leaders, educators, non-profits, businesses, and residents to join forces in creating opportunities and dismantling barriers.
It’s also a call to every city in the U.S., because this struggle is happening everywhere.
Together, we can transform the future for our youth, ensuring they grow up in a community that values and invests in their potential. The YSC Strategic Plan is not just a vision; it’s a promise to the next generation that we’re working to give them the tools and support they need to thrive.
You can read the plan here. If you or your organization is looking for someone to facilitate similar work, or you just want to talk about this work, you can contact me here or schedule a time to talk here.
Cheers to you all! Happy holidays! Put your feet up. Eat well. Enjoy friends and family. Remember to practice an attitude of gratitude. Ask for help if you need it. Take care of you. Much love,
Amy
