Future Centers provide a hub of post-secondary readiness for all students, meeting them wherever they are. This universal service model connects students with a full spectrum of opportunities for what’s next after high school, whether that involves university, community college, technical certification programs, fast-track certificate programs, military service, or direct entry into the regional workforce.
Future Centers go above and beyond traditional high school models by creating value-added programs, delivered outside of traditional high school operating hours, direct contact with students, and resources in the summer and after school. We reach students in our ‘hub’, through their teams and cohorts, alongside their teachers and counselors, virtually in the evenings, and on our campuses for nighttime programs and workshops.
Future Centers utilize partnerships with our local business community, colleges, and training programs across the state of Virginia and locally, and our local economic development resources to place a greater array of opportunities in our students’ hands when they graduate.
Future Centers are universal. They are not programs that a subset of students join, they serve every single student in the high school. On any given day, you’ll find a myriad of students in the Future Center, some working on applications to 4 year colleges and upward bound scholarships, some working on resume development and job interview skills, some prepping for the ASVAB military test, some getting extra tutoring help or SAT prep skills.
Future Centers in Lynchburg have proven to help students find paths to success after high school.
The Future Centers model embeds specialty college and career access expertise and resources inside the walls of the high school, working in partnership with high school administrators, the local economic development community, and local post-secondary providers to provide a seamless talent pipeline for Lynchburg’s young people.
Lynchburg Beacon of Hope’s High School Future Centers are 100% privately-funded; our partnership does not involve a public budget line-item, save the in-kind donation of space. But our satellite centers offer opportunities to fund Future Centers through 100% public funding or a hybrid mix of public-private funds.
Our high school Future Centers are directed by two extraordinary college/career access advisors, who have advanced degrees and professional experience. They are supported by dozens of college-age Near Peer mentors and tutors who work individually with our high school students daily. Our spaces are accessible, but more importantly our Future Centers Directors are also accessible to students by phone, text, or appointment during nontraditional hours, virtually and in person, evenings and weekends. From resume building, to SAT prep, to job interview skill development, to academic tutoring, to FAFSA and financial aid completion, to scholarship support, college athletic eligibility and pursuit, to career inventories and finding students’ strengths, to connecting students with business and industry partners, the Future Centers provide support and advising services to a universal population of students and their families.
In 2012, when Lynchburg Beacon of Hope opened its two Future Centers in the LCS high schools (EC Glass and Heritage High), 58% of the system’s graduates were going on to pursue college, community college, on-the-job training, or certification programs after graduation. In 2019, 85% of LCS graduates left high school pursuing a viable, articulated plan for education, certification, or employment—a 27% increase.
Beacon of Hope’s Future Centers have posted significant and measurable outcomes in the City of Lynchburg. Since 2012, the high school-based Future Centers (and their partnership with Lynchburg City Schools (LCS) and our local colleges, community college and technical programs) have significantly raised the percentage of Lynchburg students who are
- pursuing education and training after high school,
- accessing and applying funds that can support their educational pursuits,
- preparing for and achieving better results on post-secondary placement exams,
- engaging in experiential employer opportunities,
- honing soft skills which employers find lacking in entry-level employees,
- choosing community college and/or technical certification programs as a next step,
- most importantly, successfully completing education and training after high school.
Beacon of Hope is sharing the framework for rolling out Future Centers like the ones in Lynchburg.
Region 2 GO Virginia Council is emphasizing the importance of helping students pursue their passions. Beacon of Hope’s Future Centers Playbook provides an overview of how to stand up a Future Center in communities throughout Virginia and beyond. Increasing access for young people to education, training, and certification in high-demand Region 2 fields.
This Future Centers Playbook seeks to frame a model for any school system across the Commonwealth (and beyond) to stand up a High School Future Center. It provides a framework for funding models, for hiring Future Center Directors, for setting and measuring objectives and outcomes, for designing and implementing programs, and for seeing students into a successful college of workforce transition.