In this Issue: Ready by 21 National Meeting | Afterschool | Partnerships | Youth Engagement

In this Issue: Opportunity Index | Self-Care | Social and Emotional Skills | Family Engagement

In April, the Forum for Youth Investment and the Urban Institute brought together policymakers and practitioners from across levels of government and the non-profit sector to discuss Using Evidence for Improvement in the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act. The event featured a panel of speakers from federal, state and local agencies to share how they have used evidence to improve programs, with closing remarks from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on what agencies should consider as they begin to implement the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act (Evidence Act).

The FY 2020 AP chapter “Building and Using Evidence to Improve Government Effectiveness” can help policymakers, researchers, and service providers understand the federal government approach and priorities for using evidence in policymaking. It focuses on four key areas: (1) evidence-building strategies to learn and improve, (2) evaluation as a tool to learn and improve, (3) harnessing data for learning and improvement, and (4) promoting transparency and accountability in federal evidence-building. These four areas demonstrate how the federal government is moving forward on a number of key ideas found in the Forum’s recent work.

The Children & Nature Network's Co-Founder Richard Louv spoke with Karen Pittman on the importance of connecting all children, families, and communities to the natural world.

In just two short weeks, we will be heading to Seattle, Washington, for the 8th annual Ready by 21 National Meeting. Every year, the National Meeting brings together hundreds of leaders from around the country who are working to get all young people ready by 21 - for college, work and life.

The Local Children’s Cabinet Network is a national network of community leaders working to improve the coordination of child- and youth-serving agencies and initiatives in their localities through the use of a “children’s cabinet” or equivalent policy coordinating body.

In this Issue: Preparing Children to Thrive | Adult Capacity | Ready by 21 National Meeting | Social and Emotional Learning

In this Issue: Social-Emotional Learning | National Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month | Collective Impact Learning Lab | Change Management

Helping to reconnect youth back to education and employment and get them on a path to a successful transition to adulthood that includes economic self-sufficiency, skills that support independent living and improved health, mental health and well-being can be challenging. Youth development stakeholders and beneficiaries (i.e., the youth themselves) describe significant challenges that hinder meaningful improvements in education, employment, health and well-being outcomes.

In this Issue: Summer | Ready by 21 National Meeting | Social and Emotional Learning | Collective Impact Learning Lab