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A mentor talking with smiling teens on a field

Every young person
in Wisconsin deserves
to know

they matter.

Mattering for Wisconsin is a statewide initiative designed to help young people build the skills, relationships, experiences, and sense of purpose that support success in school, work, and life.

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A mentor talking with smiling teens on a field

  • Lead

    Build skills for school, work and life.

  • Lift

    Be seen, valued, and counted on.

  • Thrive

    Grow strong in mind, body, and belonging.

Why Mattering?

Youth who matter.
Communities
that thrive.

Mattering is the experience of feeling noticed, valued, relied upon, and recognized. These experiences can be intentionally strengthened through the relationships and environments that already surround young people. Mattering for Wisconsin connects those experiences across schools, workplaces, physical activity, community organizations, and other settings where young people learn and grow.

Learn About Us

The Mattering Ideal

We measure whole people, not test scores or program completions.

  • Mental Wellbeing

    Confident &
    Resilient

    Confident, resilient, self-aware, emotionally regulated, and supported by meaningful relationships.

  • Physical Wellbeing

    Active &
    Healthy

    Active, healthy, and equipped with habits that support lifelong wellbeing.

  • Workforce Readiness

    Skilled &
    Adaptable

    Skilled, adaptable, reliable, and prepared to contribute in a changing economy.

  • Community Vitality

    Connected &
    Engaged

    Connected, civically engaged, and invested in the people and places around them.

The Mattering Ideal describes the destination. The Mattering for Wisconsin Framework provides a way to develop and reinforce the skills, relationships, and experiences that move young people toward it. The Mattering Resume provides a way to document that growth.

See the Framework See the Mattering Resume

One Framework. Built for Wisconsin Communities.

How growth gets documented.

  1. Learn a Skill

    Mental, social, and workforce skills taught by the trusted adults already around young people.

  2. Apply It

    Skills practiced in real life: school, work, activity, and community settings.

  3. Receive Feedback

    Meaningful feedback from the educators, coaches, employers, and mentors who saw it happen.

  4. Document Growth

    Growth recorded over time in the Mattering Resume: learning, behavior, evidence.

The framework is designed to work across urban and rural Wisconsin. The core approach stays consistent while the way it is applied can be shaped locally.

The Mattering Resume

A living, portable record of development. It captures more than achievement: learning, character, contribution, perseverance, skills, credentials, and feedback across the places where growth happens.

Learning, in all its forms

Grades

Academic learning, technical skills, credentials, certifications, career exploration, and other demonstrated knowledge.

Character, service & relationships

Generosity

Leadership, service, mentoring, teamwork, contribution, and the ways a young person supports others.

Adversity, persistence & resolve

Grit

Evidence of perseverance, responsibility, follow-through, growth through challenge, and sustained effort.

Grit: adversity, persistence & resolve

Kept showing up to practice every day this season, even after a family move meant a 45-minute commute each way. Never missed a commitment to the team.

Illustrative entry; documented by a coach

See the Framework See the Resume

Why This? Why Now?

  • 1 in 5

    Wisconsin students report persistent sadness, anxiety, or hopelessness.

  • < Half

    of Wisconsin students meet basic weekly physical-activity thresholds.

  • 100,000+

    residents under 26 lost over the past decade.

I'm not gonna lie, Bridge and Build has made me feel incredible. I've never felt like anyone ever listened to me before, and now I feel like the world would listen if I want them to.

Student, Bridge & Build participant

I've never felt like I have any power before, or that I had any hope of changing my life. This has been the best thing I've ever done in school in all of my years.