November 9, 2026
War Memorial Center
11:30am- Networking
12:00pm- Meeting
1:30pm- Adjourn

Investing in our youth Today: Building Wisconsin’s Workforce of Tomorrow:

What happens to youth today has a direct connection to the strength of Wisconsin’s workforce tomorrow. 

At this GMC membership meeting, we’ll explore what current data tells us about the health, well-being, and mental health of youth across Wisconsin and what those findings mean for families, businesses, and communities. 

The conversation will look beyond the statistics to understand the experiences and challenges youth are facing, as well as the support systems that can make a meaningful difference. Strong connections with parents, family, friends, mentors, and trusted adults and spaces outside of home and school can play an important role in helping young people navigate challenges and build resilience. 

The implications extend beyond childhood. This is a workforce conversation. Today’s employees and leaders are also parents, caregivers, family members, and mentors. The challenges families experience can affect employees, workplaces, and communities every day. At the same time, the youth growing up in Wisconsin today will become tomorrow’s employees, leaders, entrepreneurs, and community builders. 

The conversation will look beyond the statistics to understand the experiences and challenges youth are facing, as well as how support systems can make a meaningful difference. Strong connections with parents, family, friends, mentors, and trusted adults and spaces outside of home and school can play an important role in helping young people navigate challenges and build resilience. 

We’ll hear from experts about what the data tells us about youth mental health and well-being, as well as corporate partners that is taking innovative steps to support the mental health of its employees and their families:

• Gil Peri, President & CEO, Children’s WI
• Joel Quadracci, Chairman & CEO, Quad
• Jaymee Harvey Willms, VP of Philanthropy, Girl Scouts of WI SE

Together, we’ll explore a critical question: 

What can business and community leaders do today to strengthen the networks of support that help our youth thrive and, in doing so, help build a healthier, more resilient Wisconsin workforce for tomorrow? 

This is an opportunity to move from awareness to action and consider how businesses can be part of the solution not only by supporting their employees and families today, but by investing in the next generation of Wisconsin’s workforce.