Our Mission

Together we will engage our community to provide an environment in which all contribute and excel.

Our Vision

Everyone achieving personal potential from cradle to career.

Our History

In 2015, at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, the Kenosha County Executive, Kenosha Area Business Alliance President, and the United Way CEO, led ongoing community conversations, called Foresight 20/20, that focused on the creation of a collective vision for Kenosha County.

​These meetings brought together leaders from business, government, education and the non-profit community to engage in conversations around important issues and opportunities that matter to Kenosha’s future. Advancing cradle to career success of Kenosha County youth was front and center at every meeting.

In 2016, Kenosha County created its own unique partnership called Building Our Future using the StriveTogether framework to ensure the success of every child, cradle to career. Our community launched the journey to align its efforts, goals, and outcomes for the long-term success of all students. One valuable lesson has emerged: Schools can’t do it alone – and now they do not have to. 

Building Our Future was founded on a simple idea: Kenosha County can improve educational outcomes for every child by aligning our work across all sectors.  By working together, we will create a successful future for Kenosha County.

Curious to learn more? Tune into our podcast episode featuring founders Jean Moran, Todd Battle, and Tatjana Bicanin. They discuss the origins of Building Our Future and its evolution over the past five years as Kenosha County's first collective impact initiative focused on social and educational outcomes.​

The History of Building Our Future

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Our Network

In partnership with StriveTogether, a model in more than 70 communities nationwide, we seek better educational opportunities for students from cradle to career by uniting partners from every sector - community members, education, non-profit, business, faith, government and philanthropy - toward a singular vision and common action. 

​Using data, our networks provide targeted strategies, implement continuous improvement and hold each other accountable.  By agreeing on a shared goal, we align partners to move each outcome area.  Currently, we are in what StriveTogether calls System Change, part of a recognized theory of action to build and sustain a civic infrastructure necessary to improve outcomes.

Building Our Future also partners with The Wisconsin Partnership which is a collaborative effort formed to identify and advocate for state policies that will enable each community to move further, faster toward its early learning goals.  This is a real opportunity to move the needle overall, and especially for underserved populations.  The Wisconsin Partnership communities collectively serve 25 percent of Wisconsinites age 0 to 8, and 70 percent of low-income Black and Latinx Wisconsinites in that age range. ​

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​Our Values

BE ADAPTABLE

• We pursue and apply learnings to make things better
• We prioritize relationships and results over sticking to our predetermined plan
• We lean into difficult conversations and decisions to overcome resistance to change
• We own our mistakes

BE AUTHENTIC

• We choose to do what is right for Kenosha County's future over what is fast, easy, or comfortable
• We make sure the energy we bring into every room, meeting, or situation is aligned with our values
• We give and receive feedback in respectful and daring ways, even if it means getting resistance

TRUST, AND BE TRUSTWORTHY

• We trust that others will get their work done that they have committed to owning, and that they will do it well
• We trust colleagues to determine the way to accomplish their work

WORK COLLABORATIVELY

• We work across sectors to find best practices
• We bring meaningful strategy and ideas to the team and seek others' ideas and skills to be shared
• We don't judge others when they ask for help/what they need

BUILD AN INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY

• We foster respect, inclusion, and engagement
• We approach our work with a sense of possibility and positivity
• We recognize and congratulate others on their good work