Horizons Dare To Be Brave

June 10-11, 2025  //  New Orleans

JFF_Presented by JFF White

The Horizons Summit, presented by Jobs for the Future, showcased our collective dedication to driving economic success for people, businesses, and communities.

 

"It’s a lack of bravery that is holding us back as a field. Two thousand of us, here in this room, share a belief that millions more U.S. workers in quality jobs is a good thing. This is an audacious vision, and it’s going to require us to be brave."

- Maria Flynn

President and CEO, Jobs for the Future

Maria Flynn speaking on the Horizons stage

Our Vision

JFF was founded 41 years ago to build connections between people in the education and workforce systems. We’re still doing that work today, and we’ve seen a lot of successes across the decades. But we haven’t come far enough, and we’re not moving fast enough to keep up with the pace of changes in the ways we live, learn, and work.  

At the Horizons Summit, we take an honest look at why millions of people are unable to access education and training and find jobs that drive economic success for themselves and their families. We name the barriers that maintain the status quo, and the innovations and supports that could make real change. And we recognize our differences, and how our differences can become our strength if we commit to listening, learning, and working together.  

Dare To Be Brave means we choose, together, to step up to the plate and take big swings toward radical transformation.  

 

“I don't use the word reform because reforms come and go. I talk about an evolution.”

- Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona

Horizons 2024

Secretary Miguel Cardona at Horizons

Our Approach

We approach our work guided by the belief that incremental change isn’t enough, and to achieve our North Star, we need to take action that yields results. 

That means we: 

Design solutions

that are both ambitious and informed. We encourage, test, and advance innovative ideas from across sectors and parties, and invite a wide range of collaborators to the conversation.

Scale best practices

by forging strong partnerships across siloed systems, and helping proven models find pathways toward greater impact.

Influence policy and action

with timely, boundary-pushing thought leadership that names the obstacles to economic advancement, and offers informed and reasoned action steps that work across party divides.

Invest in innovation

by creating networking, exposure, and funding opportunities for problem-solvers with dynamic new approaches.

 

“That's probably the enemy: that we have gone from a notion that things that we used to say, while we were having coffee with our partners, we now need to scream out to millions of people.”

- Ta-Nehisi Coates

Horizons 2024

tanehisi-quote

Our Convening and Leadership Superpower

The Horizons Summit offers an unparalleled opportunity to quiet the noise of rapid-fire social media disputes and to sidestep the barriers that divide us. Gathered in person, in a room with 2,000 collaborators, we listen and learn across differences. You’ll hear exciting and controversial takes on everything from how to approach artificial intelligence to what kind of education provides a return on investment. We engage across sectors, and invite top leaders to share their thoughts—but also early-career workers, first-time innovators, and activists demanding change today.  

Dare To Be Brave means we’re all in this together, and no one takes the first step alone. At the Horizons Summit, you have thousands of committed partners by your side. 

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