The Fairfax Partnership for Youth (FPY) grew in 1997 from Fairfax County Community Initiative to Reduce Youth Violence (CIRYV).  CIRYV was initiated by the County Board of Supervisors and the School Board in 1996 with the charge of bringing public and private sectors together to develop a shared vision and a comprehensive plan for coordinating efforts to reduce youth violence. Over the course of eighteen months of extensive information-gathering (including town meetings in each magisterial district, a youth event, a service provider survey, an audit of existing services, and gang member interviews), the CIRYV Steering Committee developed a comprehensive plan and created the Fairfax Partnership for Youth as the mechanism to put that plan in place. The long-term plan included seven issue areas with long-term goals, desired results and proposed strategies. On an annual basis, the Partnership has reviewed this plan, identified other emerging issues and prioritized issues to be addressed (forming appropriate action-oriented collaborative task forces) in the coming year:

- Hard-to-Reach Youth and Parents;

- Role Models & Community Standards;

-  Prevention Programs;

- Youth Employment & Training;

- Information Dissemination & Community Education;

- Community Collaborations; and Advocacy for Youth)

Established as a independent non-profit organization in May 1997, the Fairfax Partnership for Youth, Inc. (FPY) brought together the entire community to reduce youth violence and to promote positive youth development. 

FPY has always recognized that there are many excellent programs and services in the County.  However, insufficient coordination created some program duplication, and significant gaps in services targeting to "at-risk" youth.  Implementing a collaborative approach, FPY improved the efficiency and effectiveness of existing programs and built new ones.

Youth Surveys:  In the 1990s, there were no regular surveys to measure youth risk and health behaviors.  We advocated for implementation of these surveys, served on research design committees, helped raise funds to distribute the information generated and advocated for policies to address the issues identified.

Mentoring:  We knew that many youth did not have strong positive relationships with caring adults.  Promoting mentoring, we have increased the number of mentoring programs from a handful to dozens, and increased the number of youth matched with mentors from a few hundred to thousands. 

After-School Programming:  We knew that many vulnerable youth had no safe place to go after school.  We promoted after school programs in Middle Schools.  Today, there are programs in every middle school in Fairfax County, serving thousands of students, five days a week.  As public funding and management of these programs developed, our involvement decreased.

Support on Suspension:  We knew that students suspended from school often fell behind in their studies and some were recruited into gangs.  We helped develop a model of support on suspension centers where students could go, get help staying up with their school work, get counseling, and prepare to return to school better prepared to succeed.  From 1999 to 2010, we supported and operated centers all across Fairfax County:  Gum Springs, Culmore, Huntington, Lorton, Seven Corners, Vienna and Reston.  Combined, they helped more than a thousand students.  Since 2010, we have advocated for changes of policies to reduce the number of students suspended and to increase the institutional support provided to those who are. 

Depression and Suicide:  We recognized that many students withdraw because they are depressed.  We advocated for and supported depression screening in the schools, helped call attention to the need for increased mental health services for youth, and conducted conferences bringing together dozens of groups and educating thousands of people.  That work has expanded in recent years to include workshops on youth mental wellness, resilience, and anti-bullying programs. 

Youth Information:  We recognized that families have a hard time finding out what resources are available.  We created an experimental network in Reston, working with a dozen youth-serving organizations to create “foryouthinformation.org” a pioneering website putting combined program information and access in one place. 

For FPY to be successful, all interested parties (public, private and volunteer) need to be at the table as equal partners.  The volunteer Board of Directors of the FPY includes representatives of the Board of Supervisors and the School Board, along with representatives of the business, faith, minority, civic, university, health, nonprofit, parents and youth communities.  FPY identifies gaps in services and reaches out to the entire community to pull together the resources needed. Our initiatives often begin as "pilots", at one or two locations, with funding coming from foundations and public funds. Once proven effective, the pilots expand as resources permit.

Realizing that the issues affecting youth and trends in "best practices" shift over time, FPY reviews its goals and objectives annually and is guided by its vision statement: "To be a leader in bringing the Fairfax-Falls Church Community together to create a nurturing and supportive environment which provides opportunities for all children and youth to develop positive social and problem-solving skills and a sense of purpose and independence needed to become healthy productive citizens."