The heart of a positive youth development approach is to ensure that young people are safe and supported to learn and to lead. Yet, genuine youth leadership in youth-serving systems and organizations is not nearly as common as it needs to be for youth-serving fields to realize their potential. One recent bright spot, highlighting the process and the power of supporting youth leadership was the recent study, From Access to Equity: Making Out-of-School Time Spaces Meaningful for Teens From Marginalized Communities, supported by The Wallace Foundation.

The Federal House Budget Committee's 10-year budget blueprint, aimed at saving $4.6 trillion, is reshaping federal spending priorities. As a result, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which represents the largest investment for out-of-school youth (16-24) and low-income in-school youth facing barriers to employment (14-21), could be eliminated.

With bipartisan support, WIOA reauthorization is on the horizon, and the Forum is at the forefront, advocating for increased investment and innovative reforms in youth workforce development programs. Learn more about these critical developments and their potential impact on young people.

Discover how 40 states are using State Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) to shape education policy, track student readiness, and improve workforce outcomes. Explore real-world examples from Connecticut's P20 WIN, Indiana's Performance Management Hub, and Kentucky’s Center for Statistics, and learn why a national longitudinal database is the future of informed policymaking in education and beyond.

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is essential for young people to navigate the ever-increasing challenges of today's world. While many SEL programs and much of the research to date have focused on elementary school-aged children, more recent research shows that middle and high school-aged youth can also show substantial benefits from explicit opportunities for social and emotional development.

The Forum recently joined 50 other organizations in signing on to the Science of Learning and Development's Alliance letter, "Charting a Path to COVID Recovery for All Young People."