col·lab·o·ra·tive – produced or conducted by two or more parties working together
“Collaborative work is the foundation of the Eastside Pathways partnership’s effort to help every child thrive, cradle to career,” says Stephanie Cherrington, Executive Director of Eastside Pathways. “Developing services and solutions that will effect systems change requires a dedicated focus on the community working together. And it is only by changing systems can we have better programs and outcomes for our children and youth.”
The Eastside Pathways partnership convenes and engages with organizations on the Eastside who are already working to provide children opportunities they need to succeed. We have, currently, 66 partner organizations that span the spectrum of organizations and providers – school districts, colleges, city, social service agencies, parent groups, health organizations, early learning and family support groups, as well as businesses.
The work of the partnership is done through collaboratives that focus on achieving the five goal areas of the partnership.
- School Readiness
- Summer & Extended Learning
- Attendance
- Transitions (currently on hold)
- Career Pathways
- Mental Health and Wellbeing
- Community Engagement for Cultural Integration
- Eastside Pathways Racial Equity Team
- Data Council
- Business Engagement Group
“Our collaboratives are about learning, leveraging each other’s expertise and knowledge, sharing data, resources, and more,” says Cathy Habib, Lead Facilitator at Eastside Pathways. “Our work is focused on closing the persistent equity gaps that are holding our children back.”
The collaboratives have their own charter setting out goals, roles, responsibilities, and providing an overview of its work. They meet once a month to discuss and take forward projects and campaigns that will help achieve the identified goals.
Each collaborative has lead partners and partner members (who are already working in that particular area) and facilitators – volunteer staff from the backbone entity of Eastside Pathways and program staff from partner organizations. The lead partners are responsible for leading the collaborative in developing strategy and tactics to achieve goals, as well as identifying measurements to track progress towards those goals. The members are involved in developing and driving the campaigns/projects. They also share their organization’s voice and values in the work of the collaborative as well as inform their team about the work of the collaboratives.
Our facilitators are the mainstay of the collaboratives and are trained in adaptive leadership. They provide a structure for the collaborative to do its work, stimulate discussion and sharing of thoughts and ideas, ensure partner members actively engage in the work of the collaborative and contribute to the discussion, and take responsibility for driving campaigns and projects.
- Cathy Habib, Eastside Pathways (Lead Facilitator)
- Monika Steen, Eastside Pathways – Career Pathways
- Chris Enslein, Eastside Pathways – School Readiness
- Betsy Johnson, Eastside Pathways – Summer and Extended Learning
- Erika Flesher and Holly Pankratz – Mental Health and Wellbeing
- Kalika Curry, Bellevue YMCA and Tracy Myers, Bellevue School District – Community Engagement for Cultural Integration
- Helena Stephens, City of Bellevue, Tom Brewer, Bellevue Presbyterian Church, and Shomari Jones, Bellevue School District – Eastside Pathways Racial Equity Team
- Stephanie Cherrington, Eastside Pathways – Data Council and Attendance
- Sue Baugh, Eastside Pathways – Business Engagement Group
Article written by Sujata Agrawal, communications manager at Eastside Pathways