Atlanta native Jasmine Burton believes youth development nonprofits can serve young people better if they do it together. As the Atlanta Executive Director of America’s Promise Alliance, a national coalition of youth-serving organizations, Burton is working to get Atlanta’s youth development community “rowing in the same direction.”

America’s Promise Alliance (APA) was formed in 1997 when a group of civic leaders came together with the goal of improving outcomes for young people. According to APA’s website, it was founded on the premise that no single organization or leader can reduce the barriers to success for young people, so youth-serving organizations must convene to share knowledge and work toward a common goal.

In the nearly 30 years since APA began, the Alliance has grown to include over 650 leaders from 150 organizations nationwide. In 2025, APA launched its first two partner cities: Atlanta and Denver. With this hybrid local-national network, APA aims to provide local organizations with resources that have been historically more difficult for local organizations to access than national ones.

Atlanta became one of APA’s first partner cities when organizations in Atlanta expressed interest and enthusiasm for the opportunity to increase connections within the youth development sector. In August 2025, the Atlanta launch was held at The Supermarket, a multi-purpose event space in Poncey-Highland.

The 24-member organizations of APA Atlanta have access to APA’s national network. In March, two Atlanta leaders attended APA’s K–12 & Youth Development Convening to share insights from Atlanta and learn about work in other cities and across the nation. Member organizations pay an annual fee to access APA’s local and national programming.

America’s Promise Alliance Atlanta has held three quarterly convenings at The Supermarket and Pittsburgh Yards since August. APA aims to provide knowledge-sharing spaces and facilitate collective action initiatives.

On April 16 at The Supermarket, member organizations shared community updates, connected with one another and participated in a focused “design sprint” ideation session about economic mobility and social capital.

Atlanta Executive Director Jasmine Burton said while initial convenings identified the group’s priorities, April’s meeting was dedicated to clarifying a “tactical idea” that the group could bring to life.

In the April design sprint, participants appeared to be most concerned with connecting young people who use their programs with employment or education opportunities afterward.

“What could it look like for all of these different post-high school pathways to be coordinated across the Alliance community?” Burton said.

Atlanta members wanted to identify existing career opportunities in their organizations and create a solution that makes these opportunities easier to access and navigate.

“We’re not trying to build something new, but just creating a space for all of the great work to come together in a more cohesive way,” Burton said.

Domonique Cooper, CEO of Atlanta CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children) said being a member of APA gave CASA the opportunity to check in with the youth they serve and identify ways to better meet their needs.

“Our kids told us, “Yeah, you amplify our voices, you advocate for us in court, you do all of that. But when we reach the age of 18 and we’re released from the foster care system, we have no idea what to do.” That touched me, and APA has helped us to fill in that gap,” Cooper said.

Darius Williams, Director of Partnerships for STE(A)M Truck, a local mobile makerspace, shared his experience attending the K-12 & Youth Development Convening last month.

“It was amazing,” Williams said. “The space was intentionally designed and created for connection and reflection. … We have an opportunity to connect with people who are leading similar work across the nation.”

Many youth-serving organizations are facing similar challenges, both nationwide and on a local level, and connecting with others can lead to actionable solutions, Williams added.

Chris Stewart, Vice President of Administration at Health MPowers, also attended the K-12 convening and praised the “radical candor and support” he found there.

As the Atlanta Alliance continues to grow, Burton hopes it can change the field of youth development in Atlanta and beyond.

“We say, ‘Atlanta influences everything.’ So if you can do something here, then it can go anywhere. It’s been really cool for us to be the first place-based iteration [of APA] and to be building this programming,” Burton said.

Learn more about the Atlanta Alliance here, or email Atlanta Executive Director Jasmine Burton at jasmineb@americaspromise.org.

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Oli Turner is an Atlanta Way 2.0’s 2025-26 Journalism Fellow. She is exploring the intersection of media and community engagement. The fellowship is a practicum on civic journalism, which is defined by covering our communities accurately and constructively, exposing what’s wrong and showcasing what’s working. Part of AW2.0’s mission is to foster the next generation of journalists while ensuring that local news thrives, keeping communities informed and engaged.

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