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Press Release

United Way Helped More Than 2 Million Youth Prepare for College, Work & Life

Alexandria, Va. (May 2, 2018) – United Way Worldwide today announced it helped more than 2 million youth (ages 14 – 29) gain the knowledge, skills and credentials to succeed in school, work and life in 2016. That’s based on the 2017 Global Results Snapshot[1], a set of indicators that local United Ways report annually to demonstrate combined impact across communities. United Way invested in or led efforts to serve students in elementary through high school, ensuring that more students showed up for school, earned passing grades, developed soft skills, and received necessary training for success in school and ultimately the workplace to set them up for productive futures.

“The Global Results Snapshot demonstrates our progress against some of society’s toughest problems that prevent young people from gaining the skills and training they need to be relevant, get on a career track and secure successful futures,” said Mary Sellers, U.S. President of United Way Worldwide. “To make our communities strong, safe environments where everyone can thrive, we must continue to work together to ensure our youth emerge in the workforce ready to compete in the fast-changing world of work and primed for success.”

United Way achieved the following results:

  • 115,863 youth received job skills training
  • 98 percent of youth graduated on time
  • 80 percent of youth developed soft skills such as communication and time management
  • 86 percent maintained satisfactory or improved school attendance
  • 66 percent of youth gained post-secondary employment, further education or credentials

United Way also worked with volunteers, partner agencies and corporate partners to:

  • Advocate for 98 policies that promote youth success at the local or state level. In Seattle, WA, United Way helped enact the Homeless Youth Act, to ensure that youth discharged from institutions had a place to live. In Orange County, CA, United Way is leading an effort called Destination Graduation, which has helped more than 26,000 students stay in school
  • Train 7,583 staff in afterschool and summer programming, that provide middle and high school students supplemental resources, including mentoring, tutoring, academic enrichment in the arts and STEM subjects as well as exposure to college opportunities and career possibilities
  • Engage more than 3,500 United Way community partners – like Boys and Girls Clubs, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, the Scouts, 4-H and more – to provide enriching experiences after school and during the summer to help youth succeed

For nearly 130 years, United Way has been the unifying force that brings together community leaders, organized labor, faith-based groups, corporations, nonprofit organizations and governments. United Way is a worldwide network dedicated to building a better life and stronger community for everyone, serving over 61 million people each year.

An infographic of the 2016 Global Results Snapshot on youth success is here. To learn more about United Way’s work to fight for every person in every community, click here.

About United Way’s Global Results Snapshot

The Global Results Snapshot is a common, limited set of indicators that United Ways report on annually to demonstrate our shared impact across communities. The framework aggregates data across United Ways based on indicators in key impact areas: childhood success, youth success, economic mobility, access to health, and community engagement to demonstrate the collective investments the network is making to drive community change deliver results for individuals, families and communities.

[1] *The Global Results Snapshot represents data from 154 United Ways, reporting 2016 data in 2017 that represents 147,474,530 people in their respective metropolitan areas.

About United Way

United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. Supported by 2.9 million volunteers, 9.8 million donors worldwide and $4.7 billion raised every year, United Way is the world’s largest privately-funded nonprofit. We’re engaged in 1,800 communities across more than 40 countries and territories worldwide to create sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our communities. United Way partners include global, national and local businesses, nonprofits, government, civic and faith-based organizations, along with educators, labor leaders, health providers, senior citizens, students and more. For more information about United Way, please visit UnitedWay.org. Follow us on Twitter: @UnitedWay and #LiveUnited.

Media Contact

Southerlyn Reisig, United Way
southerlyn.reisig@uww.unitedway.org
Tel. 703.836.7100 ext.321

Christine Sanchez, United Way
christine.sanchez@uww.unitedway.org
Tel. 703-836-7100 ext. 564