Chattanooga 2.0 Marks Ten Years
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Chattanooga 2.0 marked ten years of community collaboration with a breakfast Thursday at The Westin Hotel, bringing together local leaders, partners, and supporters to reflect on past achievements and share bold plans for the future.
Since its start in 2015, Chattanooga 2.0 has worked to improve outcomes for Hamilton County children from early learning through career pathways.
At the event, leaders highlighted education and workforce initiatives that connect students with opportunities that build confidence, skills, and long-term success.
One major focus is a campaign to ensure 70 percent of Hamilton County students are reading and writing at grade level by 2030.
To support that goal, Chattanooga 2.0 aims to establish 10,000 student accounts by the end of this school year, giving young people both financial assets and motivation to persist in school and career preparation.
Chattanooga 2.0 has already launched five career pathways as part of its pathways initiative and plans to roll out five more in the next two years, helping students link classroom learning with thriving-wage careers here in Hamilton County.
The organization was also selected in October as one of just seven communities nationwide by The Wallace Foundation for the “Advancing Opportunities for Adolescents” initiative, chosen from more than 1,700 applicants.
This national effort will support stronger afterschool programs and expanded career exploration by uniting schools, nonprofits, and community leaders to better connect support for middle and early high school students.
During the breakfast, attendees wrote messages on a drawing created by a Hamilton County student and posed for photos with it, symbolizing their shared commitment to children’s futures.
Leaders emphasized that this work is both a moral and economic imperative, because how children do is how the community does.
Chattanooga 2.0 plans to keep building an inclusive, thriving Hamilton County that offers pathways to success for future generations.
For more on Chattanooga 2.0’s initiatives and impact, visit chatt2.org.
