Learning doesn’t stop when the school day ends. Growth doesn’t follow neat schedules. And young people move through a world that rarely lines up with the way systems are intended to work. For those of us who work alongside young people in out-of-school time, the latest report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine affirms the message we’ve been amplifying: youth development isn’t an add-on, it is critical infrastructure supporting youth navigating complex realities.

When families worry about immigration enforcement at a school event, or when young people carry the weight of uncertainty about their futures, it changes how they show up, how they learn, and how they connect. These aren’t abstract challenges. They’re part of everyday reality for too many young people.

This is one reason youth development matters so deeply. Young people need spaces where they are seen, supported, and safe — emotionally, socially, and physically. They need adults and systems that meet them where they are, understand their experiences, and journey with them as they build toward their goals.

The Wallace Foundation’s recent piece, The Time Has Come for Youth Development, brings renewed urgency to a conversation that has been alive in communities for years. It echoes what many of us have seen: that coordinated, connected systems make a difference, and the people holding those connections deserve more than appreciation. They deserve investment.

“We need to stop thinking of youth development as a patchwork and start funding it like the system it truly is.” 
— The Time Has Come for Youth Development

Intermediaries Are the Backbone

Some of the most transformative efforts in this field aren’t the ones that make headlines. They’re happening behind the scenes—where intermediaries offer coaching, build networks, analyze data, and help programs keep quality at the center. They do more than support the work; they hold the system together.

Building bridges across schools, nonprofits, government, and public institutions takes commitment, strategy, and investment. Otherwise, this vital and delicate work falls apart when funding disappears or policies shift. When intermediaries lose support, so do the programs and communities they hold up.

The same is true for the youth development workforce. They show up every day with skill, empathy, and cultural knowledge, all while navigating low pay, limited pathways, and little recognition. The system can’t move without them, but it hasn’t moved fast enough for them.

From Momentum to Muscle

We don’t need to rethink youth development from scratch. We need to fund and protect what is already working. That means supporting the structures that make quality possible–well-resourced intermediaries, strategic cross-system partnerships, and an empowered workforce that reflects the communities it serves.

We’ve already lost too many programs to funding gaps and shifting priorities. Doors have closed, teams have disbanded, and young people have undoubtedly felt the effects. The work hasn’t stopped, but the investment for it has been uneven at best. If this moment is going to mean anything to the field, it has to come with more than recognition and applause. It must come with resources, repair, and a renewed commitment to the people doing this work—especially in the places where it’s hardest to keep going.

As we continue to hear stories from across the country about how recent funding cuts at the federal level continue to lead to immediate reductions and closings of community and youth development programs, the Forum will continue to advocate for policies that protect wraparound services. Most recently, we joined a national sign-on letter urging Congress to increase funding for 21^st Century Community Learning Centers as we look ahead to Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27). For the past four years, federal funding has been frozen for this program, not even keeping pace with inflation, let alone responding to need. We want to ensure funding is protected and increased to match demand and inflation in FY27.

If you or your organization would like to share stories of how funding cuts are impacting your youth development work and/or how increase funding for the youth development workforce would strengthen your program, please email Gerod Blue, Director of Policy & Advocacy, at Gerod@forumfyi.org.