The transition process of the U.S. Programs of the Open Society Institute (OSI) was first announced in May 2002. A memo from OSI's Vice President and Director of U.S. Programs, Gara LaMarche, provides current information about that transition of the U.S. Programs. Additionally, I would like to provide more specific information on the timeline for the transition of the Youth Initiatives Program, and where we are in the process.

Regarding our education initiative, as many of you know, OSI did not develop a fully fledged education program but rather chose to be opportunistic, funding discrete projects that reflected our open society mission. The most prominent and largest commitment has been support for high school reform in New York City through the New Century High School Initiative (NCHSI) with our colleague funders, the Carnegie Corporation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This five-year initiative to create partnerships for designing new small schools and restructuring large failing high schools, is an integral part of the re-design of New York City’s school system through the Children First reform agenda. Forty-one new schools have opened under this initiative, and through a recent commitment of funding from the Gates Foundation, NCHSI intends to initiate the formation of sixty-seven more small schools. OSI will not be funding new education initiatives but may consider a handful of small grants that maximize and connect the work of existing grantees in the three youth initiatives program areas.

The Urban Debate Program, which spearheaded the expansion of a movement to bring formal debate programs to urban high schools, was modeled on a design that provided up to four years funding for urban debate leagues. The leagues replicated a successful model that developed partnerships between school districts, academic institutions and other community stakeholders with the purpose of leveraging public and other private support to institutionalize urban debate in school systems. OSI has supported a total of fifteen urban debate leagues, adding the last new league in 2002. Our remaining program funds are designated for final support to several grantees. The launching of a national umbrella organization for urban debate and support for a preliminary study on the effects of debate, are also part of OSI’s legacy to this movement. Over the next several months we will be exploring ideas for an evaluation of the grant-making program.

Over the past four years, the Youth Media Program has funded a significant number of youth media projects and intermediary organizations to build organizational capacity and to foster field building activities through renewable one-year grants. When OSI announced last year that U.S. Programs as we currently know them, would close at the end of 2005, we were provided ample time to assess the lessons learned from our funding and to develop strategies to support the development of the field in the remaining two years. In determining the program priorities going forward, we completed an internal strategic planning process that enabled us to set clear program goals and objectives. A strategy was determined to provide the bulk of general support and capacity building final grants to many of our long time grantees during 2003. This will give us the capacity in the remaining years to focus our human and financial resources in the areas of building and developing youth media as a field, raising awareness about youth media and cultivating allies. In the areas of field building, we will support studies, including a Youth Media Impact Study, re-conceptualize the Youth Media Reporter, and convene youth media practitioners, intermediaries and other stakeholders to develop a long-term vision and plan that serves the field. We hope to raise the awareness of youth media by strengthening alliances with high-profile festivals and distribution channels that incorporate youth media, by utilizing OSI’s internal communications department to advise on strategies that highlight grantee accomplishments, and by developing strategic opportunities to disseminate curricula and best practices. The bulk of our cultivation activities will be directed toward the funding community; however, we will also work to strengthen relationships with policy/advocacy organizations involved in youth-related issues.

Although the last year has been challenging, we are energized by the prospect of moving forward on our ambitious agenda to help our grantees to sustain their work. We appreciate the encouragement, advice and feedback that many of you have afforded us during the course of our work. The Youth Initiatives’ staff looks forward to this next critical and final phase of our programs and expects to be working hard with many of you to accomplish our mutual goals.