[Durham INC] IBM Studies Social, Educational and Economic Opportunities of Durham's Youth

[Blalock, Amy]

CITY OF DURHAM

Office of Public Affairs

101 City Hall Plaza

Durham, NC 27701

 

 

News Release

 

For Details, Contact:

Beverly B. Thompson

Director

(919) 560-4123 x 11229

(919) 475-2362 (cell)

Beverly.Thompson at DurhamNC.gov

 

 

 

 

For Immediate Release: March 15, 2012

 

 

 

IBM Studies Social, Educational and Economic Opportunities of Durham's
Youth

Delivers Report Funded by IBM Smarter Cities Challenge Grant

 

DURHAM, N.C. - The City of Durham announced today that IBM has presented
a report to the city's leadership that recommends strategies to ensure
the education, well being, and job-readiness of the community's young
adults.

 

The recommendations emerged from a $400,000 study funded by a
competitive IBM Smarter Cities Challenge grant awarded to cities, such
as Durham, that have demonstrated progressive thinking and a commitment
to embrace change.  

 

For the study, six IBM employees hailing from all parts of the globe
spent most of February living in Durham and interviewing approximately
80 residents, officials, and community leaders. The IBM team, comprised
of finance, technology and management experts, presented their findings
and feedback to city officials in early March, to be followed in a few
weeks by a more formal, written report.

 

"Durham was part of an elite group of cities that earned an IBM Smarter
Cities Challenge grant in 2012," said Steven Pearson, a North
Carolina-based manager for IBM's Corporate Citizenship & Corporate
Affairs group.  "That means that we believe the city is forward
thinking, candid, ambitious, and committed to change. During the time it
spent here, our team was impressed with the City's leadership and
citizenry, and believes that it has a bright future ahead of it,
particularly when it comes to keeping its youth well educated and
employed."

 

IBM found that while numerous individual public, private, and
not-for-profit groups are addressing aspects of empowering and
connecting youth to opportunities, there is no formal, consistent
mechanism to coordinate these fragmented efforts over the long term, or
ensure that funds being spent are delivering desired results. According
to the IBM team, synchronizing and centralizing activities would help to
set concrete and collective goals, build broader community buy-in,
demonstrate stronger resolve, allocate resources more efficiently,
improve information sharing and collaboration, measure and fine-tune
progress, build capacity, and provide accountability.

 

The IBM team recommended that a more aggressive strategy of prevention,
intervention, and reconnection be developed, so that fewer youth become
disconnected from school or work.  The IBM team also suggested that the
framework and vocabulary employed in this important endeavor be centered
on youth, not bureaucratic goals. 

 

Outreach efforts also need to be framed as opportunities for youth, not
as problems to solve. Suggestions included the development of a "pride
builders" program, leveraging the broad informal network of advocates
across the community including role models, mentors, internships,
tangible success stories, and youth conferences.  

 

The IBM team also recommended that a common and consistent language and
data should be used by all involved groups so that they can understand
each other better and exchange case information more meaningfully.

 

The IBM team also recommended enhancements that might be made to the
educational experience of the community's youth. Namely, there could be
more multicultural sensitivity, educators could employ more
sophisticated approaches in identifying and addressing mental illness,
and alternative educational and vocational options need to be available.

 

"I am pleased that IBM selected Durham as the first U.S. city for the
2012 IBM Smarter Cities Grant program," said Mayor William V. "Bill"
Bell. "Thanks to the efforts of Durham City and County governments and
Durham Public Schools, the IBM team was able to immerse themselves into
our community for three weeks to understand our weaknesses and
strengths.  We, hopefully, now can use that information to enable our
governments, schools, and community organizations to propel our youth
toward successful lives. I look forward to receiving IBM's formal
recommendations and engaging the Durham community in the next steps." 

 

The City of Durham was one of 33 cities named as recipients of IBM's
Smarter Cities Challenge grants in 2012. Launched in 2011, this
three-year $50 million program for 100 U.S. cities is IBM's
single-largest philanthropic initiative. It funds in-person engagements
staffed by teams of top IBM experts, who study and then make detailed
recommendations addressing locally important urban issues.

 

In the upcoming weeks and months, feedback on IBM's recommendations, as
well as additional ideas for reaching out to Durham's youth, will be
solicited from the general public and from other stakeholders.

 

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