Center for the Future of Arizona

Today is International Volunteer Day. ❤️ We celebrate the work volunteers are doing to come together and solve tough problems. CFA tracks volunteering in Arizona through the Arizona Connected Communities Progress Meter. The latest data shows that nearly 16% of Arizonans volunteer. We are proud to highlight some of our CFA team’s volunteering efforts today. What are more ways to make a difference in your local community through volunteering?

Time is running out! ⌛ Applications for the Southern Arizona Workforce Leadership Academy are due in THREE days on Dec. 6. If you’re looking for a way to impact Southern Arizona’s workforce development landscape, this opportunity is for you. Apply now: https://bit.ly/3AjGXM

Happy #GivingTuesday! Today, let’s celebrate the power of giving back to Arizona. Whether it’s supporting your favorite nonprofit, uplifting your neighbors, or investing in your community, every act of generosity makes a difference. Together, we can create a brighter future for our state! Arizonafuture.org/give 

Much of our work at CFA is about connecting Arizonans! Our Arizona Pathways to Prosperity team recently worked with the Yuma County School District to create a career exploration directory that will connect local businesses with the opportunity to interact more directly with schools and students. When local businesses and schools work together, students of all ages can explore career opportunities—and what it takes to get there-- through field trips, classroom visits, mentoring, and more. Moises Pimentel, CFA project manager for Southwest Arizona framed this impact well: “In order for college and career pathways to be successful, they have to be responsive to the needs of industry in our community.” Read about the directory and its impact from Yuma Sun https://bit.ly/3Z3aimy

We must work together to create a stronger and brighter future for Arizona. Center for the Future of Arizona is proud to be one of many organizations in Arizona working within and alongside communities to ensure prosperity, opportunity, and quality of life for all. As we look forward to #GivingTuesday on Dec. 3, consider supporting local Arizona nonprofits who are doing great work across many different sectors.

We’re closing out #NationalApprenticeshipWeek with an exciting behind-the-scenes look at one of our Arizona Pathways to Prosperity projects: the Kudelski Apprenticeship through the Phoenix Coding Academy.     A few things that make this student apprenticeship critical to Arizona’s success:  1️⃣ Arizona is currently meeting only 82% of its cybersecurity workforce needs. Giving students hands-on experience in this growing field now helps Arizona train and retain top talent.  2️⃣ Students in the program learn while they earn, which generates buy-in.  3️⃣ These high school juniors and seniors can add meaningful projects to their resume, which will aid in future job and education opportunities.   4️⃣ Even if students in the program don’t advance to a cybersecurity career, they learn valuable “soft” professional skills such as communication and project management to take into their next role.     We’re grateful for the cross-collaboration among CFA’s Arizona Pathways to Prosperity, the US Department of Labor, the AZ State Office of Apprenticeship, the Phoenix Coding Academy, and, of course, Kudelski Security for making this possible.  

It was an absolute pleasure celebrating Helios Education Foundation at the #NationalPhilanthropyDay luncheon from the AFP - Greater AZ Chapter! Congratulations to Vince Roig & Jane LaRocca Roig, Paul Luna, and the entire Helios team on being named Outstanding Foundation. Your dedication to transforming lives and advancing equitable education is inspiring, and CFA is honored to call you a partner. Here’s to the incredible impact you continue to make for students and Arizona! 🎉👏 #NationalPhilanthropyDay

Catch us if you can! Over the past month, we’ve been across the state and the country advancing The Arizona We Want through: 🗺️ College & career pathways 💼 Workforce development 🌵 & much more! Read and subscribe: https://bit.ly/3YSusj6

Engaged students mean improved attendance & educational outcomes. Enter: robots. 🤖 CFA’s Arizona Pathways to Prosperity Possible Futures curriculum, which connects middle and high school students with hands-on career exploration opportunities, has been implemented at Heritage Middle School, cvusd - Chino Valley Unified School District, to great success. Read more about how student buy-in via a middle school robotics class is positively impacting student attendance and inspiration for future careers: https://bit.ly/48Uu4VG

Our data shows that 75% of Arizonans agree they are willing to speak with others who have different views in order to solve problems. Collaboration and conversation are crucial to build #TheArizonaWeWant. This upcoming event from Arizona Talks Foundation is a great way to find strength in civic dialogue.