Partnering with Youth Development Organizations

Connect Youth Experiences to Future Possibilities

The DeBruce Foundation partners with youth-serving organizations because we recognize the important role early experiences play in helping young people prepare for bright futures. Through mentorship programs, STEM and STEAM activities, volunteer opportunities, internships, leadership programs, and other youth experiences, organizations are helping young people develop skills, explore interests, and discover new possibilities.

We help organizations connect the experiences youth are having today to the careers they may pursue tomorrow. Through Agilities^TM, youth gain a deeper understanding of how their skills and interests relate to future opportunities. By connecting experiences to possibilities, young people are better equipped to make informed decisions about their education, careers, and futures.

If your organization is committed to helping youth discover their potential and build bright futures, we welcome the opportunity to explore a partnership.

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How We Partner with Youth Development Organizations

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City leverages The DeBruce Foundation’s career literacy tools to help Bigs and Littles engage in meaningful discussions about career paths. After taking the Agile Work Profiler™, Bigs and Littles are equipped to talk about skills and interests. Littles can use in the workforce one day, explore post-high school options, and set career goals together.

Britebound (formerly American Student Assistance) partners with The DeBruce Foundation to expand access to career-readiness and workforce development resources for students nationwide. TeenVoice is a wholly owned, for-profit subsidiary of the national nonprofit organization Massachusetts Higher Education Assistance Corporation, doing business as Britebound. EvolveMe, a free digital platform owned by TeenVoice, Inc. (a C Corporation), integrates The DeBruce Foundation’s Agilities™ tools to enable students to identify their strengths, explore in-demand careers, and better understand how their skills and interests connect to future opportunities.

National 4-H Council partners with The DeBruce Foundation to bring career literacy resources, tools, and support to 4-H programs and Cooperative Extension professionals across the country. Through this collaboration, 4-H educators gain access to the Agilities™ tools and implementation resources that help young people recognize their strengths, explore career possibilities, and connect what they are learning through 4-H to future opportunities. Together, National 4-H Council and The DeBruce Foundation are expanding access to meaningful career exploration for youth in communities across the United States.

ProX, a collaborative effort of community stakeholders, provides connections for students to professional experiences that prepare them for whatever comes after high school. Guaranteeing an educational and professional experience for students who commit 25 hours per week for a stipend, the program coordinates application, placement, and payment while ensuring quality experiences for employers and students. Coaches guide the career literacy and mentoring experiences with an eye toward this being some of the very first experiences youth will have to develop realistic visions through exposure to companies and careers that they likely have not ever seen before. Students participate in internships or project-based work while gaining real-world experience, exploring career options, and earning a stipend plus academic credit. Throughout, they’re expanding their professional networks and using The Foundation’s tools to build their career literacy.

Youth Lead KC is a Kansas City youth development program that equips students for life after high school. Through a variety of initiatives, they foster personal growth, social responsibility, and career exploration for high school students. The organization hosts an annual conference and business expo, bringing together approximately 250 students, providing them with opportunities to engage with representatives from about 60 businesses. At the event, The DeBruce Foundation hosted a booth where students explored the Agilities framework and applied it through activities such as playing interactive games, crafting elevator pitches, and developing experience statements.

KC STEM Alliance is a collaborative network of educators, businesses, and related organizations working to inspire interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math careers. KC STEM Alliance incorporates the Agilities^TM tools within programs and initiatives including FIRST Robotics, Project Lead The Way (PLTW), Remake Learning Days, Kansas City’s STEM learning ecosystem, and the National STEM Ecosystem to help youth understand how the skills and interests they’re building today can turn into future careers.

The Dan & Cassidy Towriss IDEA Space KC uses science, technology, engineering, arts, and math to spark children’s imaginations. Through collaboration with regional private and public school districts and home school programs, students acquire important 21st-century skills such as creativity, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving. IDEA Space is designed to serve thousands of students from diverse neighborhoods and varying socioeconomic backgrounds through year-round, hands-on educational experiences. Integrating Agilities into experiential programming supports students in connecting STEM activities to skills and interests that they’ll use in their future careers.

Make48 is an invention challenge in which teams of makers from across the nation have 48 hours to vision, develop, and bring a new idea to life. With the belief that “Everyone has a great idea,” Make48 levels the playing field by providing a network of mentors, access to equipment, and the knowledge needed for their invention. Throughout the competition, participants engage in hands-on experiences with innovation, product development, and entrepreneurship. With the AWP and knowledge of the Agilities, participants get to know the transferable work skills they’re developing and exploring throughout the Make48 experience.