09/16/2026
School, family, friendships, neighborhoods, hobbies and interests, and community all overlap. And when those parts of a young person’s life are better connected, they create a stronger network of support and a greater sense of belonging.
That bigger-picture thinking is part of the Health Foundation of East Texas’ 2026 Building Belonging challenge, which will provide funding to 11 grantees working to strengthen connection for Smith County youth.
These three projects are looking beyond individual programs and thinking about the relationships, environments, and systems that surround young people every day:
🔵 Tyler Area Business Education Council will bring together existing and new programs through Connected Tyler to strengthen youth connection, belonging, workforce engagement, and well-being. Students will have multiple ways to get involved based on their own interests and goals.
🔵 Next Step Community Solutions will expand its Sources of Strength framework to connect three important parts of a young person’s life: peers at school, family, and community. The project will also work to build a shared language around belonging throughout Smith County.
🔵 Tyler ISD Foundation will create a district-owned learning ecosystem anchored at the Owens campus, including an outdoor learning hub for students across campuses. School gardens, outdoor science spaces, and classroom agricultural kits will extend those hands-on learning opportunities to other campuses while building toward long-term partnerships in agricultural education.
Supporting young people takes all of us — families, schools, organizations, mentors, businesses, and neighbors. These projects are exploring what can happen when those pieces work together to create stronger connections and more opportunities for young people across Smith County.
