Resiliency is the capacity to respond effectively to change, to adapt successfully to new and unforeseen conditions and circumstances — and to seize opportunity. It’s an essential characteristic of organizations that are built for ongoing success. ~ S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation

The Strategies Center at Youth for Change™ customizes each organization’s path to long-term resilience.

The initiative typically begins with investigative discussions among organizational teams led by a Strategies Center change leader. These discussions, which may be conducted online or face-to-face at or near your site, are guided by a tested organizational resilience framework including nine areas of capacity:

• Leadership and Vision/Mission/Values
• Results-Based Program Performance and Practices/Evaluation
• Diversified Human and Financial Resources
• Allies and Champions/Marketing and Communications
• Supportive Management and Organizational Infrastructure
• Adaptability and Change
• Cultural Proficiency
• Organizational Culture and Vital Signs
• Emotional Intelligence

This facilitated, rigorous self-examination leads to targeted assessment to quantify organizational capacities. The Strategies Center may recommend a number of measures; including the iCAT (impact Capacity Assessment Tool). These data create a baseline against which change can be measured, as well as inform the collaborative development of a customized work plan to strengthen organizational resilience.

Status checks and post-test measures are administered at pre-determined intervals to better align the work plan with organizational circumstances if needed, and to document the policy and practice changes achieved to strengthen your organization’s resilience.