American Youth Policy Forum
Informing Youth Policy, Improving Youth Outcomes.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Many young people, especially traditionally underserved youth, lack the skills and supports necessary to graduate high school, enter postsecondary education, earn a postsecondary credential or degree, and work in a meaningful career with wages sufficient to support a family. Underserved youth, such as those in the foster care or juvenile justice systems, homeless youth, youth with disabilities, first-generation college goers, low-income youth, and youth of color, often face significant barriers to achieving these outcomes. Given the changing nature of the labor market, the need for higher order skills to thrive in today's society, and growing poverty rates in the US, we are committed to identifying policies, practices, and research that will result in improved outcomes for these youth.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Youth Policy Consultant Program
To create policies that reflect the strengths and realities of youth who experience systemic inequities, the lived experience of youth voice must be at the center of the policy process. With this in mind, AYPF creates space for young people to meaningfully engage with policymakers on those policy issues that impact them the most: K-12 education, success in postsecondary education, pathways to work, and opportunities for economic security and mobility. AYPF’s Youth Policy Consultant program engages young people across the United States to share their perspectives based on their lived experience on various topics, such as education equity, hurdles to employment, and much-needed reforms to the justice and child welfare systems. Recognizing that numerous organizations have attempted with mixed success to include youth in policymaking, AYPF is guided by a set of standards, informed by youth, research, and partner organizations, to create conditions that more fully support the young people.
System Transformation
AYPF works to transform siloed systems so that they are connected and equitable in nature, value personal strengths, and provide meaningful opportunities for success. AYPF partners with key policy and advocacy organizations to provide a curated forum for them to directly ground their work in the expertise of young people and focus on whole youth well-being. With young people at the forefront and in conjunction with a strong coalition of like-minded partner organizations, AYPF seeks to develop the structure and collective force that will build the momentum necessary to create a new compelling narrative, as well as secure support for policies that remove barriers to youth success and create opportunities for young people to thrive.
Where we work
External reviews
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our goal is to educate, inform, and engage policymakers and practitioners at the national, state, and local levels to better understand the needs of traditionally underserved youth. Armed with this knowledge, we believe they will be better prepared to take action to ensure more equitable systems and programs for youth. We want to see changes in education, youth, and workforce policies and programs that lead to more equitable inputs and outcomes for these youth and that provide long-term, comprehensive and cross-systems supports targeted to each youth's strengths, interests, and goals. We want policymakers and practitioners to focus time, energy, attention, and resources on traditionally underserved youth and make serving them a priority.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
AYPF provides nonpartisan, research-based information and learning opportunities to policymakers and practitioners to help them make sense of the often-confusing array of information, materials, and voices that compete for time and attention in the education and youth policy fields. We provide concise, easy-to-access resources, such as blogs and infograms, and organize convenings to allow policymakers and practitioners to learn about relevant research, evaluations, best practices, and innovations. We offer different types of convenings such as webinars, discussion groups, Capitol Hill forums, and study tours. We make connections between policy, practice, and research and educate policymakers and practitioners on strategies for advancing their work to help more youth thrive. We provide specific advice and recommendations on strategies, programs, and policies to help these youth.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
AYPF has deep knowledge and expertise in education, youth, and workforce policy, practice, and research. For 25 years, we have built an extensive knowledge base of K-12 education, career and technical education, college and career readiness and success, afterschool and out-of- school time learning, youth development, and cross-system collaboration. We know the challenges and opportunities for advancing policies and understand the importance of framing issues and creating conversations to promote change. Our staff not only have deep and rich content knowledge, they are also expert in designing nonpartisan, engaging convenings in which participants network and feel safe to learn from diverse perspectives and identify actions to advance their work. We are adept at creating relevant, concise, research-based resources, and disseminating those resources to broad and diverse audiences. We understand the needs of differing youth groups and how to tailor interventions to better support them.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Over the past 25 years, we have served thousands of policymakers and practitioners and helped build their knowledge and capacity. We have developed hundreds of resources that highlight effective and emerging policies and practices to inform and educate. Our emphasis on traditionally underserved youth, cross-systems collaboration, and personalized approaches with comprehensive supports are ideas that have gained traction over the past decade and are being adopted in policies and practice. For the future, we plan to increase our policy focus on improving equitable inputs and outcomes for traditionally underserved youth so they face bright futures. We find that there is a huge lack of understanding about these youth and the challenges they face, thus we will continue to provide information in ways that resonate with a variety of audiences so more education, youth, and workforce leaders learn what they can do to help.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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American Youth Policy Forum
Board of directorsas of 08/22/2022
Dr. Lorelle Espinosa
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Term: 2016 - 2024
Tina Gridiron
ACT, Center for Equity in Learning
James McKenney
Workforce Institute, Inc.
Anthony Shop
Social Driver
Michelle Gilliard
FHI360
Dakarai Aarons
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
David Hawkins
National Association for College Admission Counseling
Gloriela Iguina-Colon
MDRC
Lyman Legters
Casey Family Programs
Annie Holmes
CCSSO
Cynthia Brown
Center for American Progress
Anthony R. Sarmiento
Senior Service America
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as: