We’re thrilled to share the mini-documentary capturing the essence of our 2025 Opening Plenary—a pivotal moment in our journey toward systemic change in youth development.
Held from February 23–26 in New Orleans, the Opening Plenary marked the launch of BCYF’s six-month Learning Lab. This immersive experience brought together Baltimore’s youth development leaders to explore innovative models and strategies inspired by New Orleans’ Youth Master Plan, aiming to inform the creation of Baltimore’s own Youth Master Plan .
Why New Orleans?
New Orleans has done something extraordinary: it created a citywide Youth Master Plan that is bold, actionable, and rooted in youth voice. Developed with deep input from young people, families, and frontline workers, it’s a roadmap for building a system that truly supports youth—across education, employment, housing, health, and more.
We went to New Orleans because we believe Baltimore deserves a plan just as ambitious—one that’s built by and for the people who live its realities every day. By learning from New Orleans’ successes and missteps, we can adapt their strategies to our unique context, while staying grounded in our shared values.
What’s Next?
We’re using the momentum of the Opening Plenary and the learning lab to begin developing Baltimore’s own Youth Master Plan—a blueprint for how we invest in, collaborate with, and support young people across our city. We believe Baltimore’s youth deserve a plan that is as dynamic, brilliant, and full of possibility as they are. And we’re just getting started.
Watch the mini-doc. Reflect on what’s possible. And follow along as we build Baltimore’s Youth Master Plan—together!
