Annual Convening to Launch City's First Youth Master Plan and Feature 27 Sessions Led by Grassroots Leaders and Young People
BALTIMORE, Nov. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Baltimore Children & Youth Fund (BCYF) and the Grantee Planning Committee announced The Gathering 2025: Roots & Reach, the organization's annual flagship convening taking place Monday, November 17, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront. The event is designed to uplift youth-serving organizations and celebrate community-led change across the city. Most notably, the event will launch the Baltimore Youth Master Plan—the city's first comprehensive, community-driven roadmap to elevate youth voices, strengthen grassroots leadership, and align citywide resources with priorities defined by young people. The Youth Master Plan brings Baltimore's youth-serving organizations into closer coordination, fostering cross-sector collaboration, trust, and long-term community leadership to achieve equitable, youth-centered outcomes.
The Gathering 2025 will feature 27 sessions led by grassroots leaders, youth, and practitioners from across Baltimore and beyond. Reflecting BCYF's commitment to youth voice and leadership, 44% of sessions include young people ages 0–24 as presenters or co-presenters, ensuring they shape the learning experience for their peers and adult allies.
The theme, "Roots & Reach: Citywide Change From the Ground Up," reflects BCYF's belief that lasting, systemic change must be rooted in local leadership, youth voice, and the lived experiences of those closest to both the challenges and the solutions. The theme celebrates the knowledge and resilience of Baltimore's neighborhoods while recognizing how collective efforts can grow and expand across the city through collaboration and alignment with the Youth Master Plan.
Programming throughout the day will include:
- Morning workshops on grant management, creative self-care for grassroots leaders, harm reduction in workplace culture, youth-centered program design and leadership wellness
- Community lunch and celebration featuring grantee showcases from The Marching Elite, Coach G Academy, Baltimore American Indian Center and music from a youth musician, Timothy Fletcher
- Afternoon sessions focused on health and wellness, youth rights and activism, radical self-care, ending deficit language in schools and youth storytelling
- Networking spaces for emergent youth-led dialogue and cross-organization connection
"Baltimore stands at a pivotal moment," said Alysia Lee, President and CEO of BCYF. "With these great investments in youth and expanded opportunities for grassroots leadership, not to mention the momentum of a citywide Youth Master Plan, now is the time to align our energy and efforts. The Gathering 2025 will celebrate impact, strengthen connections, and help create lasting, people-centered change rooted in Baltimore's strength: community."
The convening will begin with breakfast and youth-curated music, followed by an opening celebration featuring intergenerational voices. The day will close with a youth performance, community reflections, and collective commitments, inviting all participants to carry forward the spirit of Roots & Reach into action.
The Gathering 2025 is open to Baltimore's entire youth development ecosystem. For the complete session lineup and other event information, please visit http://www.bcyfund.org.
About Baltimore Children and Youth Fund
The Baltimore Children & Youth Fund (BCYF) is a nonprofit, city-funded initiative dedicated to improving the lives of young people across Baltimore. BCYF employs a dual investment strategy—pairing direct funding for youth-serving organizations with training and learning supports that promote long-term sustainability and strengthen Baltimore's youth ecosystem. Through this approach, BCYF delivers vital financial and educational resources to community-based organizations in education, health, safety, and enrichment, ensuring every young person has access to the opportunities they need to thrive. To learn more, visit http://www.bcyfund.org.
Media Contact
Brandon Hansen, Baltimore Children and Youth Fund, 410-505-8459, [email protected], https://bcyfund.org/
SOURCE Baltimore Children and Youth Fund
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