A key objective with the East Baltimore Research Project has been to center equity in research and build capacity so that the residents of East Baltimore not only have access to research but have the opportunity to define what, how and why research is conducted. DeJuan has brought his keen ability to understand the perspectives of others and to see both the connections among individuals and the bigger picture to find ways of bringing together these diverse perspectives into a stronger whole. Among his contributions to the team is his commitment to equity and inclusion, which is evident in his continuous advocacy of those voices that are most marginalized.

Working with The Bridge Advisory Group helps the PATIENTS Program at the University of Maryland Baltimore feel more confident that we are getting people's authentic perspectives rather than just hearing what community members think we want to hear.

Without The Bridge Advisory Group, we would be engaging the same group of patients and community members we have contacted in the past; expanding the diversity of perspectives is critical to assuring that every voice is heard and has an impact.

As a Casey Foundation program officer for economic opportunity in Baltimore City, I worked on two projects with DeJuan: a participatory research project focused on understanding what young people need and desire in terms of employment, education and training and a consulting engagement focused on helping a Board Youth Committee become more equitable and inclusive of youth voice, engagement and leadership. My favorite part of working with DeJuan is his intimate and deep knowledge of youth engagement and leadership in the context of workforce development. I thoroughly appreciated his thought partnership and work on these two projects as I use both to help drive my investment decisions in Baltimore.

In terms of the two projects that DeJuan consulted on for the Foundation, the benefits are numerous. I can share a bit from each project:

Participatory Research Project- based on the research from both corner conversations and focus groups with young people in Baltimore City, a set of 11 recommendations arose as to how stakeholders in the workforce ecosystem should focus their time, resources and investments. The recommendations came directly from young people, not guesses or in a vacuum from adults. DeJuan's significant contribution to this project not only assisted me as a Program Officer in terms of where to make investments regarding youth workforce development, but the work has influenced other program officers, workforce practitioners and stakeholders.

Youth Committee Consulting Engagement- this work focused on how to make the Baltimore Workforce Development Board's Youth Committee more inclusive of youth voice, engagement and leadership. Because of DeJuan's deep understanding of systems, he knows that an equitable and empowered youth voice is of critical importance to workforce development programming for young people in Baltimore. He was able to provide the Youth Committee with tangible recommendations about how to build a body that centers youth voice and decision making. To date, the Youth Committee has 6 young people that are compensated for their time, sitting at the table in leadership roles and helping to move the work forward.