Children attending the Foundation For Youth annual meeting, at the Foundation for Youth facility, Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Carla Clark | For The Republic
A local nonprofit is looking for the community’s feedback on where it can grow in its efforts to serve Bartholomew County children.
Foundation for Youth has released a survey in hopes of gathering public input for its strategic planning work. To access the survey, go to bit.ly/FFYCommunityInput. Individuals are asked to submit their answers by Nov. 17.
“The survey is open to anyone in the community,” said executive director Chuck Kime. “…We would love to hear from current users of our services, we would love to hear from previous folks who’ve been affiliated with Foundation for Youth, and we would really love to hear from others who don’t currently use our services.”
According to FFY, all input will remain anonymous and will be compiled to help the organization “define a path that supports the needs of our community’s youth and families.”
The survey includes questions about the greatest needs and challenges facing local youth, resources needed to better support young people, and the community’s long-term priorities.
It also asks what FFY’s strengths are, where the organization could improve and what role FFY should play in “addressing the needs of youth and advancing the community’s vision to support youth.”
Additionally, there are sections with questions geared toward specific members of the community, such as FFY board members, current or past staff, participating families, and program alumni.
“The purpose of the survey is to help direct our work in the future,” said Kime. “We want to make sure that we’re hearing from folks the ways that they see children need supports and trying to identify the ways that we can help meet those needs. So ultimately this will become a part of our strategic plan. But right now we’re gathering very broad feedback, and over the course of the coming months, we will hone that into a more strategic direction for the organization.”
The input will also be shared with FFY’s “closer partners” such as the city, local schools and other youth-serving organizations, he added. During these conversations, FFY will learn more about what other organizations are working on and where they can partner and complement their services.
FFY also plans to hold a “Community Visioning Day” from 4-8 p.m. on Jan. 25, at its Hope Avenue location. Kime described this as a time for the organization to share what they’ve learned with the community, get further input and discuss the direction they’re “currently leaning.”
Then, during February and March, FFY’s board of directors and trustees will “build a vision for the future,” he said.
Where to learn more
To access the survey, go to bit.ly/FFYCommunityInput. Individuals are asked to submit their answers by Nov. 17.
For more information, contact Chuck Kime at [email protected].
To RSVP for the Community Visioning Day, go to bit.ly/FFYVisioningDay.
