Program Collaboration

Local Collaboration

Y2CONNECT trains local Baltimore youth-serving organizations on how to effectively and equitably work with youth using the resources provided on Y2CONNECT.org.¹ Y2CONNECT staff hold regular meetings with these organizations to share information about the website and answer questions about the guide, the resources within it, and how to use it. Y2CONNECT staff also train statewide school student support teams (SST) on how they can use the website to identify useful resources for the youth they serve with academic and/or behavioral concerns.

Y2CONNECT establishes a partnership with the organizations it trains to use the website in one of two ways:

1. Y2CONNECT contacts the programs/organizations with offers to train their staff.
2. Programs/organizations contact Y2CONNECT through a webform or direct contact with founder Arik Marcell, M.D., M.P.H.

Cross-City Collaboration

Another key pillar of Y2CONNECT is the intent to broaden their reach into new cities. Y2CONNECT Baltimore invites other cities, regions, and schools to use their platform to create local comprehensive guides of their own. When one of these localities contacts Y2CONNTECT about creating a similar resource for their community, Y2CONNECT staff onboard and train the new partner site on how to manage and update the website and tailor it to their local resources. Learn more about the training and implementation process for new Y2CONNECT locations in the Program Components section

References

¹⁰ Perin, J., Jennings, J., Arrington-Sanders, R., Page, K. R., Loosier, P. S., Dittus, P. J., & Marcell, A. V. (2019). Evaluation of an adapted Project Connect community based intervention among professionals serving young minority men. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 46(3),165–171.