Baltimore Children & Youth Fund Showcases Grantee Youth Work and Launches New Learning Platform at Community Exhibition

BALTIMORE, May 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Baltimore Children & Youth Fund (BCYF) will host a powerful, one-day Learning Lab Community Exhibition on June 3 at Baltimore Unity Hall, where Baltimore's youth development leaders will take the spotlight, sharing their ideas and community solutions through immersive storytelling, hands on youth-development practice demonstration, and interactive presentations. The event invites guests to engage directly with Baltimore's grassroots organizations and trailblazers who are uniquely and creatively addressing the most pressing challenges facing our city's youth today. This event not only uplifts their transformational work, but also serves as a national call to reimagine how learning, leadership, and community investment intersect to position Baltimore as a hub for innovation in nonprofit management and youth development.

At the heart of the exhibition is the official launch of #bcreds — a new online program offering accessible, high-quality learning experiences across all devices designed by BCYF to support professional growth within the nonprofit and professional youth-development ecosystem. Designed primarily for grassroots and community-based organizations, #bcreds offers micro-credentials: short, skills-based learning opportunities focused on real-world topics like financial management, strategic planning, fundraising, and program design. The web-based learning program was also tested to ensure users are retaining the information, instead of just reading it. These self-paced trainings are free for anyone serving young people in Baltimore, reflecting BCYF's ongoing commitment to helping its partners go beyond creating programs by building organizations that sustain.

Early pilot users of #bcreds have praised both the cultural intentionality and practical value of the platform. "My first thought was 'I love the cultural representation'," said one pilot user about Brandy—the animated guide, modeled after a person of color, who walks users through the tool. "The character, her voice, gave us a level of comfort to have representation—I love that approach."

Pilot users also praise the tool's ability to help leaders create transparency around finances. "Often, the numbers are kept away from staff, and there isn't an understanding of where the funding comes from or where it goes. [This technology provides] accessibility for everybody."

#bcreds not only reflects the communities it serves, but also equips organizations with the tools to grow stronger from the inside out—making knowledge both inclusive and actionable.

The Learning Lab Community Exhibition is the culmination of 6 months of learning from New Orleans to Baltimore. At the top of this year, BCYF and its grantees traveled to New Orleans to emphasize the importance of the innovative approaches taken to develop the New Orleans Youth Master Plan. Attendees engaged in community discussions and learning sessions to kick off the development of Baltimore's Youth Master Plan, a transformative framework designed to guide youth-centered progress and systemic change in the city. The Learning Lab reflects BCYF's two-pronged approach to grantmaking, which not only provides funding to youth-centered organizations but also invests deeply in their growth through capacity-building. From individualized coaching and peer learning opportunities to platforms like #bcreds, BCYF is creating systems designed to support the youth development ecosystem by helping grassroots leaders thrive.

Attendees can expect:

• Exclusive access to youth and community leaders offering live, on-site testimonials about their journeys and impact.
• Dynamic visual experiences, including interactive exhibits and credentialing demonstrations.
• A front-row seat to the #bcreds launch and its implications for the future of youth development.
• A deeper understanding of how Baltimore is modeling equity-centered, community-led philanthropy on a national scale.

"The Learning Lab Community Exhibition is a celebration of the brilliance and leadership that already exists within Baltimore's youth-serving ecosystem," said Alysia Lee, President & CEO of BCYF. "By launching #bcreds alongside this powerful showcase of community-driven solutions, we are amplifying voices, strengthening networks, and modeling what equity in action truly looks like."

To coordinate interviews or RSVP for media access, contact Simone Blackman at [email protected].

About the Baltimore Children & Youth Fund:

Baltimore Children & Youth Fund (BCYF) builds partnerships that support the ecosystem focused on opportunities for Baltimore youth by providing support to leaders and organizations. The effort to create a dedicated fund to support programs for Baltimore's young people was launched in 2015 by then-City Council President Bernard "Jack" C. Young — a response to the unrest in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody, an event that sharply illuminated longstanding inequities in public funding in Black communities. Supported by Baltimore City residents' tax dollars, since 2020 BCYF has awarded over $31M to Baltimore programs serving children and youth.

SOURCE Baltimore Children & Youth Fund