Note: The organization did not respond to this question.

Our Vision: A just and equitable society that nurtures all youth and is enriched by their contributi

Source: Nonprofit submitted responses

Goal One: Become a model trauma-informed organization

Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).

Goal Two: Increase strategies to help eliminate chronic gaps in academic achievement

Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.

Describe an investment in leadership

We continuously identify and implement new professional development and training opportunities for leadership. For instance, in December 2021, Identity’s Board and leadership team attended a virtual workshop on Asset-Framing for Equity, and in April 2022, Program Director Nora Morales participated in Inspire Leadership School’s Public Narrative course, which trains leaders to create compelling narratives that motivate others to take action for the benefit of their communities. From July 2022, we will begin delivering monthly trainings for managers covering best practices for getting the most positive results from their teams (motivational strategies, having difficult conversations etc.) Identity has also invested heavily in training all leadership, staff, and board members in Trauma-Informed Care, including trainings on hiring, managing and supervising through a trauma-informed lens. We continuously train leadership on newly updated curricula, facilitation guides and evaluation tools.

This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:

• Networks of Collective Impact Efforts

• Thought Leadership

• Raising Awareness

• Community Building

• Policy Advocacy

What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?

We engage in partnerships with local government (e.g. Montgomery County DHHS & Public Schools), education (e.g. University of Maryland; Montgomery College, Universities at Shady Grove) and nonprofits (e.g. 480 Club, Pride Youth Services, EveryMind). In 2019 we partnered with NAACP Parents’ Council to form the Black & Brown Coalition for Educational Equity & Excellence. We have worked with UMD School of Public Health for 4 years and in 2022 established Enlace, a joint project linking research and community to advance wellbeing of Latino youth/families. We recently presented 3 webinars about immigration-specific traumas and our nonclinical emotional support groups. Early in 2020 we joined a collective impact effort (Salud y Bienestar) harnessing county health funding for Latinos impacted by the pandemic. Our Executive Director was co-chair of Montgomery Moving Forward, a local coalition addressing community challenges, which is honoring him in June as a Hero of Collective Impact.

Through 2021, the needs of our client community persisted or worsened as the pandemic shifted from a short-term crisis to one requiring a longer-term approach. We saw unprecedented numbers of people left devastatingly vulnerable due to the health, mental health, education, and employment impacts of the pandemic. And many Identity youth, who already faced numerous challenges, struggled to succeed with remote schooling. Over the past year, Identity sustained an unprecedented response, adapting and expanding programming to keep young people engaged in their education, older youth developing their work skills and parents equipped to help them, and delivering expanded lifesaving safety-net support and non-clinical emotional support to vulnerable families. In response to the dramatic rise in emotional distress we observed in our community early in the pandemic, we accelerated the expansion of our non-clinical emotional support groups for adults. We are currently piloting an expansion for high school-age youth to address the ongoing youth mental health crisis. The new programs were created in partnership with the community who are involved in their planning and delivery. While the challenges of the past two years have tested the resilience of our organization and our community, they have also presented many opportunities to learn and adapt our approach to meet our community’s needs. The lingering effects of the pandemic required us to continue remote/hybrid work for many positions, which necessitated greater investment in IT equipment, software, and administrative support to prevent disruptions in service. However, we have also found that providing services online can be extremely beneficial to many of our clients by reducing common barriers to participation (e.g., childcare, transportation). We have therefore made permanent adjustments to many of our programs to allow greater flexibility for clients who prefer to receive remote services even after the pandemic is over.