Fort Worth nonprofit expands beyond youth, encourages civic engagement
Founded as an organization to push young people to get involved, SteerFW has now shifted to promoting civic engagement throughout Fort Worth.
Created in 2011 by then-Mayor Betsy Price, the organization was officially registered in 2017 as a nonprofit and began to work autonomously. Recently, SteerFW has grown its mission and wants people of all ages involved in its programs.
"It should not be seen as a YPN (Young Professionals Network), because how many people do you know that might be 50 years old that don't know how to get civically engaged?" said Bill Jacobs, a SteerFW board of directors member.
Nothing is more emblematic of this recent change to involve all ages than the Keyholders program, which is SteerFW's annual leadership program that allows participants to engage with city leaders.
The current class of Keyholders, which was announced in late May, is SteerFW's largest. The group of 45 people are diverse in background, experience and age.
Jacobs, a graduate of the 2023 Keyholders who now chairs the program, said SteerFW accepted everyone who applied. Although there are plans next year to have selection criteria in place, he still sees the bigger class as a positive.
"With our mission being to get people more civically involved and to teach them how to be more civically involved, even if a Keyholder goes through the program and they love it and they move on and we don't see them ever again, they know a lot more about the city," Jacobs said.
The current batch of Keyholders work in several sectors, including education, business, banking, community service and local government.
Sarina Lora Davidson, a member of the 2024 class and senior director of corporate fundraising for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County, said she hopes to gain new connections with Fort Worth residents.
"Sometimes you can't create change unless you know what other people's ideations are and how to execute it together," Davidson said.
Davidson first learned of SteerFW in 2021 in her previous position with the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Now that she has the time, Davidson took the opportunity to get involved.
"I have so many friends who are involved," she said. "I wanted to learn a little bit more from their perspective to see how I can continue to impact the way that they're impacting."
SteerFW is growing as the nonprofit plans to create a legacy program, where alumni of other programs can "graduate" and stay civically engaged, Jacobs said.
Upward movement through SteerFW is common, as graduated Keyholders have looked for more ways to get involved, Jacobs said. Around a dozen members of the 2023 class have either joined SteerFW's board of directors or are participating in committees.
People's desire to get involved has allowed for the organization to grow.
"It's just a place that if somebody wants to get civically engaged, wants to make a difference in the city and doesn't exactly know where to start, that's where you start," Jacobs said.
Ismael M. Belkoura is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at .
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