What’s Next for Youth Forward MKE

For the past seven years, Youth Forward MKE and its partners have worked tirelessly to shift power to young people and elevate their voices. That coalition has now come to a close as Milwaukee Succeeds sharpens its focus on early childhood education (ECE). Despite this change, Milwaukee Succeeds remains committed to supporting our young people and strengthening the systems that impact their futures.

Reflecting on Seven Years of Partnership

Over the years, Youth Forward MKE has built and tested new ways for young people to lead and shape decisions across Milwaukee.

That work began with the Design Your Future Fellowship, where young people came together to reimagine high school success and develop equity-focused solutions. From there, the work expanded into more sustained leadership opportunities. The Autonomous Youth Council, for example, placed young people directly into decision-making spaces, empowering them to make a meaningful impact in their community.

This year, the Youth-Led Grantmaking Project took that a step further by putting funding decisions directly in the hands of young people, allowing them to identify priorities, review proposals and invest in projects that reflect the needs of their peers.

Together, these efforts have created real opportunities for young people to shape decisions, influence systems and lead change across Milwaukee.

Continuing this Work

Although formal coalition activities will be coming to an end, several youth-focused initiatives will continue:

• The Pathways to Economic Mobility project – in partnership with StriveTogether, the Healthcare Anchor Network and Froedtert ThedaCare – will continue through 2027, connecting young people to training and career opportunities in the health care sector.

• We will continue our work alongside StriveTogether and the City of Milwaukee to embed youth voice in policy and systems change.

• Our Opportunity Youth project – conducted in collaboration with Marquette University and the Medical College of Wisconsin – will also continue.

Looking Ahead

As this chapter comes to a close, we want to thank all of the incredible partners who have contributed to the work and helped shape its direction over the years.

“We want to acknowledge the work this group has done,” said Maria Hamidu, project manager for Youth Forward MKE. “While this is a transition, our commitment to supporting youth development and youth voice in decision-making spaces continues.”

Going forward, we will continue working to improve educational outcomes for children across Milwaukee, with an increased focus on ECE and systems-level change. The impact of Youth Forward MKE will continue to inform and strengthen this work – and the lessons we’ve learned along the way will never be forgotten.