Our Partnership

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NOTHING WITHOUT PARTNERSHIPS

 

United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County holds no illusions that a single organization or company can create the systemic change needed for the benefit of ALL students and families. Partnerships are important. In fact, partnerships are the foundation upon which our work is built. 
 


 

Let's Get To Work

 

Our Vision

A united and resilient community where everyone belongs and everyone thrives.

This is what we build our work upon. 

Our Mission

We mobilize and support a robust network of people, partners, and resources to collectively fight the root causes and consequences of poverty.

This mission keeps us grounded in what our role is and what we must focus our attention on. 

How Do We Get There?

 

 

Asheville and Buncombe County have an opportunity gap. Our local opportunity gap isn’t solely a school problem, it is a community problem which is why effective solutions must include meaningful interventions in how our most vulnerable students are educated, AND in the factors outside of school that affect student learning.

With input from more than 150 youth and community representatives, we've established a Bold Community Goal:

By 2035, ALL Asheville City and Buncombe County students graduate from high school ready and fully prepared to pursue their goals and dreams.

This Bold Community Goal serves both as a rallying cry for our community and as a public promise to attain meaningful results for students and families.

The time is now

The impact of the pandemic and the social justice, economic and environmental crises are taking their collective toll on all of us but they are profoundly impacting the mental and emotional health of youth. Addictions, drug use, and overdoses are on the rise.  Achievement gaps have widened with classroom performance and student test scores, seeing historic losses.

We are at a pivotal moment in history. The lives and futures of our youth require that we all work together in ways that we haven’t before. As we respond to the urgency of this moment we must stay centered on the wisdom of those most impacted by these issues. This begins with listening to those most impacted by the issues to learn how we can be of support, and embracing our differences as we work together to find solutions that allow us to use our unique strengths. 
 

 

Whether you are a parent, a teacher, a neighbor, or a business owner, we are all impacted when our youth face barriers that hold them back from graduation.

We know that Education is the great equalizer, with statistics showing that graduating from high school is a POWERFUL PREDICTOR of the future health and economic stability of an individual and their community. But too often, academic success is derailed by hunger, homelessness, violence, inequity, and other problems. These factors are known as the “social determinants of health” and we would argue are also the social determinants of education. And the impact of the pandemic has only widened existing gaps. 

This is why we are co-creating and supporting United for Youth, a network of community partners who each bring a unique contribution to this work. And it is why we are rallying the resources needed to anchor student and family support in seven Community Schools with a goal to expand to nine in the coming years. 

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