Waltham Partnership For Youth

Our mission is to collaborate with youth, families, and partner organizations to address long-standing systemic inequities while building a community of belonging and opportunity for Waltham youth. We envision a world where young people have the skills, resources and opportunities to participate fully in their communities and create their own paths to success and well-being. Our work is guided by our core values o belonging, collaboration, compassion, courageous honesty, and a youth-centric approach. Current Programs & Services: Career Exploration and Training: Our CET programs provide students with opportunities to explore careers and discover passions while developing a pathway to economic independence and post-secondary success. Our high school internship program places over 100 students per year in paid internships at companies in a wide range of fields in and around Waltham while providing individualized support, mentoring, and career-readiness workshops. Our pathway programs in education and mental health give students the chance to explore careers in these fields through educational and work-based learning experiences while earning college credit. We are investing now in a more diverse educator and mental health workforce of tomorrow. Wraparound Waltham is a multi-agency coalition, led by WPY, that provides a network of support for Spanish-dominant, Latinx high-school students who are new to the country and learning English. The goal of Wraparound is to increase graduation rates for newcomer emerging bilingual students by increasing school and community belonging, fostering emotional safety and wellbeing, and facilitating access to school and community information and services. Youth Risk Behavior Survey: We work with Waltham Public Schools to administer the YRBS every two years. We analyze the data and make it available to school and community partners to inform policy and practice focused on increasing the health, wellness, and resilience of Waltham youth.