The Collective Blueprint
Memphis, TN, USA
Background: Memphis has the highest rate of young people who are out of school and chronically unemployed in the country-often referred to as opportunity youth. These young adults, who are overwhelmingly African American and from low-income backgrounds, face significant structural barriers to economic mobility. Today, Memphis ranks among the lowest U.S. cities for social mobility, and only 1% of opportunity youth will earn an Associate Degree by age 28. The mission of The Collective Blueprint is to increase socioeconomic mobility for young adults by building pathways to thriving careers. We are building on our past success and launching and managing a citywide workforce initiative that brings together multiple organizations, employers, and funders around shared goals, coordinated execution, and measurable outcomes. This citywide workforce initiative is focused on increasing economic mobility, expanding access to living-wage jobs, and better coordinating the systems that support...