Coming Together – Building a Hopeful Future for Children and Youth in Windsor-Essex County is the first major milestone report for ProsperUs. The report outlines the history, vision, strategy and neighbourhood indicators that ProsperUs will focus on as we transform our community and lives – together.
ProsperUs partners shared an unprecedented amount of data to better understand the barriers and successes experienced by children, youth, and their families in our community. Twenty locally identified indicators emerged, including economic, educational, health, civic and safety factors. These indicators were used to ranks every single neighbourhood – 30 neighbourhoods in the City of Windsor and 25 in Essex County.
Our Vision
To transform the conditions in our region to dramatically improve the outcomes for children and young people of Windsor-Essex County, from the time they are born until they complete post-secondary education and start
their career.
We believe every child and young person in Windsor-Essex County should have the opportunity and support to succeed – from cradle to career. Our region’s greatest strength is our youth – they are the generation that will
help shape our changing economy. Successful children who become independent adults will ultimately lead to a more vibrant and thriving community for all.
Collective Impact
To achieve this vision, the whole community is coming together to create opportunities for children and youth that no single organization or sector can do on its own. Our work will be based on data and will target neighbourhoods and children in Windsor-Essex County who need the most help.
Key Findings
Our goal was to identify three ‘neighbourhood clusters’ that were experiencing the most constraints for children and youth. The results were clear:
- Downtown Windsor
- Leamington
- West Windsor
These three areas were identified as the neighbourhoods that could benefit the most from support, and it is where we will first develop and invest in Cradle to Career.
Why Did We Choose Certain Neighbourhoods?
Creating equity between neighbourhoods is an important value for ProsperUs. It’s important for us to level the playing field for children across neighbourhoods. Equity means some children in certain neighbourhoods need more help than others – your postal code shouldn’t determine your future. By focusing on these key neighbourhoods, we can tackle the root causes of the many challenges in our community. We can target and measure specific community-level outcomes in these neighbourhoods and hold ourselves to a high standard of success.
By leveling the playing field in these neighbourhoods, we believe we can create further prosperity in our region. We’ll be helping to ease the burdens of over-stretched systems like health and education, and unlock the potential and talent of local children and youth. Ultimately, this will help drive an economic transformation in our community, further positioning Windsor-Essex to compete in the 21st Century economy.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Our children and youth are our region’s greatest asset. We need to ensure each and every child can realize their potential, regardless of the neighbourhood they grow up in. As the work of ProsperUs moves forward, it’s important for us to work alongside our community to build a plan that works. Children, youth, parents and residents from these three neighbourhoods are vital to the success of ProsperUs. We need to understand the data, and co-design solutions that remove barriers for children – together.
Get Involved
- Summer 2019: Community Action Network Working Groups begin
- Host a Data Walk event in your community
- Call to Youth: Join the ProsperUs Youth Council
Contact Us to learn more.