Executive Summary

Memphis has the largest youth population in Tennessee and one of the highest childhood poverty rates in the nation. The city’s majority BIPOC population experience poverty and injustice at a disproportionate rate to their white counterparts. BRIDGES, founded in 1922, is a long-standing beacon for access, inclusivity, and personal and communal transformation in Memphis. The Bridge Builders program, which began in 1988, was designed to bring youth together across the divides caused by segregation and socioeconomic polarization and to help them build leadership and collaboration skills to transform Memphis for the better.

Now serving thousands of students grades 6-12, we believe youth are the “not next but now” solution to many of our city’s problems. By developing their personal awareness, leadership skills, diversity appreciation, and passion for community action, BRIDGES prepares youth to be thoughtful, active, and thriving citizens working to improve and eradicate issues that directly affect them.

BRIDGES recently launched the Youth Action Center (YAC), where youth leaders work alongside adult community partners to solve issues affecting young people across the education, healthcare, social services, and justice systems. With high-quality training, students establish pathways to speak directly and confidently to school administrators, elected officials, and others in positions of power to help craft solutions to the most pressing issues. Students often describe the work they do at YAC as the most meaningful experience in their young lives and the inspiration for the work they pursue following graduation.

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