Effective Communications

Many states and communities have multiple task forces, partnerships and councils working on overlapping youth issues, from bullying to pregnancy to dropouts. This policy brief calls attention to the problem of collaboration overload, and suggests ways to tackle it. Check out these tips for working collaboratively without creating redundancy.

Effective leadership for changing the odds for children and youth requires motivating a number of distinct groups to act. It is essential for leaders to develop an aligned and focused advocacy and communications strategy that articulates and builds demand for changing the odds for children and youth.

The Forum for Youth Investment, along with Voices for America's Children and Kids Count, hosted a conference call for youth advocates on communications and messaging on February 14th. The call featured Kristen Grimm, president of Spitfire Strategies, and Ann Lochner, director of the Applied Research Collaborative on Youth Development at the University of Minnesota.