Youth Today

Youth Today Youth Today provides news, opinions and updates from and for people who believe that when youth thrive we all thrive.

Subscribe to Youth Today: https://youthtoday.org/subscribe/ Youth Today is a national, nonprofit, independent news source for people who care about and work with children and youth. For more than 35 years we’ve published in-depth reporting on issues including foster care and child welfare, juvenile justice, youth with disabilities, education, out-of-school time, youth development and more.

🚨 Our systems for youth are under attack — and building back isn’t enough.In her latest When Youth Thrive, We All Thrive...
07/18/2025

🚨 Our systems for youth are under attack — and building back isn’t enough.

In her latest When Youth Thrive, We All Thrive column, Karen Pittman urges us to rethink and redesign the systems that support education and youth development. Drawing on decades of research, she outlines five bold shifts to help youth thrive — from redefining learning to advocating for a new educational architecture that values anywhere, anytime, never-too-late learning.

Let’s value mentors, counselors, coaches, artists — the full learning ecosystem. Let’s give young people the tools and relationships they need to be productive, healthy and connected.

👉 Read the full piece: https://youthtoday.org/2025/07/education-youth-development-under-attack-time-talk-differently-act-together/

🎓 We tend to think of the costs of and associated with higher education as separate from the current mental health crisi...
07/17/2025

🎓 We tend to think of the costs of and associated with higher education as separate from the current mental health crisis, yet…

You can’t study when you’re hungry.
You can’t focus when you’re worried about eviction.
You can’t thrive when you don’t know how you’ll pay for your schooling.

In today's opinion piece Paige Swanstein from the Student Basic Needs Coalition breaks down how financial stress is fueling a mental health crisis on campus. From food and housing insecurity to overwhelming debt, students are navigating conditions no amount of self-care can fix.

🧠 59% of students have considered dropping out due to financial strain.
🥪 Many face hunger and unstable housing while trying to stay enrolled.
💡 Solutions must be systemic: increased public benefits access, stronger campus support systems, and policies that meet students’ basic needs.

It’s time to redefine student wellness — not as self-resilience in hardship, but as support through structural change.

📖 Read the full piece: https://youthtoday.org/2025/07/college-affordability-undermining-student-mental-health-we-cant-address-one-without-other/



📸LightField Studios/Shutterstock
🖋 Paige Swanstein

College – in the traditional sense – doesn’t have to be the next step right after high school.In today’s opinion piece H...
07/15/2025

College – in the traditional sense – doesn’t have to be the next step right after high school.

In today’s opinion piece Hakiem Ellison shares why it’s time to broaden our view of post-secondary success beyond obtaining a four-year degree. He explores how schools, cities and organizations can support career pathways.

He highlights how we can expand:

✅ Career & technical education (CTE)
✅ Paid internships & real-world learning
✅ Nonprofit + city-led workforce programs
✅ Support for youth who choose a different path

Young people deserve more than awareness of these options — they need real access, support and a clear path to grow.

🔗 Read the full piece here: https://youthtoday.org/2025/07/what-is-the-next-step/

💡 What happens when education is truly built around a learner’s needs?Khara Schonfeld-Karan, a parent, educator, and res...
07/10/2025

💡 What happens when education is truly built around a learner’s needs?

Khara Schonfeld-Karan, a parent, educator, and researcher, went searching for better support for her son with learning differences — and found it in learner-centered environments.

🏫 In these innovative learning enivonrments:
✨ Students design passion projects
🧩 Accommodations are normalized
🧠 Kids learn build real-world skills and self-advocacy
💬 Families finally feel seen, heard, and supported
✅ When we build systems around learners — rather than forcing them to fit outdated systems — everyone benefits.

🔗 Read the full article: http://bit.ly/40Nr6j0


🚨 Nearly $7 billion in federal education funding has been frozen — threatening afterschool programs, summer learning, st...
07/09/2025

🚨 Nearly $7 billion in federal education funding has been frozen — threatening afterschool programs, summer learning, student supports, and more.

Karen Pittman and Merita Irby's When Youth Thrive, We All Thrive column, sounds the alarm on deep cuts to Title IV-A and IV-B programs, Pell Grants, AmeriCorps, and other services that form the learning ecosystem youth rely on.

These aren’t just budget line items — they’re:

📚 1.4 million students losing access to afterschool
🎨 Fewer opportunities for arts, mental health, & enrichment
🌐 Gaps in services that help young people thrive year-round

Now is the time for unity across the allied youth fields. Our advocacy must be loud, connected, and collective.

✊ Let’s not protect just one program. Let’s protect the ecosystem.

🔗 Read more: http://bit.ly/3U8vAgl

💡 Out-of-school time (OST) programs create magic for youth — but it all depends on one key ingredient: a thriving OST wo...
07/08/2025

💡 Out-of-school time (OST) programs create magic for youth — but it all depends on one key ingredient: a thriving OST workforce.

Jen Curry, CEO of Change Impact, kicks off a new Youth Today focus on the OST workforce. Despite proven links between staff engagement and program success, OST jobs are often part-time, underpaid, and undervalued. It’s time to focus on job quality for the feild.

We can’t compete with corporate salaries, but we can offer purpose, growth, and community — if we invest thoughtfully.

🌟 What does a thriving OST workforce look like? How do we get there — both in big-picture investments and small daily practices? This column will explore those questions and celebrate successes from across the field.

Join the conversation and help build the future youth – and youth development professional – deserve.
🔗 Read more: http://bit.ly/3TqyBsj

🌍 Karen Pittman and Merita Irby share insights from the Global Extended Learning and Youth Development Association (GELY...
06/27/2025

🌍 Karen Pittman and Merita Irby share insights from the Global Extended Learning and Youth Development Association (GELYDA) - a game-changing international organization connecting youth development professionals worldwide!

Key highlights from their first conference in Iceland:
✨ Cross-system collaboration between schools, afterschool programs & communities
✨ International research on student well-being & education reform in the AI age
✨ Innovative workforce development for youth professionals
✨ Real policy changes creating new pathways for collaboration

Beyond the conference GELYDA is engaging youth development professionals worldwide through their webiste - that offers resources from Korea, Iceland, Germany, UK & US - plus a new biannual magazine focused on strengthening youth work globally.

They encourage everyone to join them in this organization and movement. Founding membership is FREE for the next year as they build their community.

👉 Check out the full article and get involved: https://bit.ly/4lpwX61

📸 Youth Today

Karen J Pittman reflects on a recent visit to Iceland, where she learned how the country has taken legislative action to...
06/25/2025

Karen J Pittman reflects on a recent visit to Iceland, where she learned how the country has taken legislative action to create a collaborative, youth-centered ecosystem of learning that integrates schools, afterschool programs, and community-based services.

From leisure centers for 6-year-olds to youth-directed funding and cross-sector collaboration, Iceland offers a blueprint for how education systems can truly center youth well-being.
This isn’t just innovation—it’s infrastructure.

📖 Read Karen Pittman’s full article and her take aways here: https://bit.ly/40pyj8L

📸 AnnaStills/Shutterstock

thinking

Rural LGBTQ+ youth are showing remarkable pride and resilience—but they’re also facing disproportionate mental health ch...
06/25/2025

Rural LGBTQ+ youth are showing remarkable pride and resilience—but they’re also facing disproportionate mental health challenges and limited in-person support. Youth Today breaks down findings from a new report by and Born This Way Foundation , which shows that online spaces are often lifelines for connection, identity, and community.

📖 Read the full summary: https://bit.ly/4ltcy09

✨ Young people don’t just want a seat at the existing table, they want to build the new tables. ✨At the recent Every Hou...
06/24/2025

✨ Young people don’t just want a seat at the existing table, they want to build the new tables. ✨
At the recent Every Hour Counts convening, young changemakers such as — like Cole Stevens Bridgemakers , King Mobley World Youth Connect , and Julian Spencer (GoodTrouble) — shared how they are t demanding more just, youth-driven systems to light the path forward. They called for real power, mental health support, and leadership roles in the spaces that shape their lives.

Read Dara Rose's Horizons National reflection on the panel and its connections to recent research as she breaks down how proximity, purpose, and partnership can drive real systems change.
📖 Read Dara’s full piece: http://bit.ly/44wjLGW

“We need schools that don’t just say they care about us. We need schools that show it.”Heather L. Savage, DSW, MSW write...
06/23/2025

“We need schools that don’t just say they care about us. We need schools that show it.”

Heather L. Savage, DSW, MSW writes a powerful call to action challenging the status quo of family engagement in chools. Her research shows that for Black youth to thrive, schools must move beyond isolated efforts and intentionally build trust-based, culturally responsive partnerships with families and community organizations.

That means:
🔹 Earning trust through consistent, personal connection
🔹 Making space for real collaboration
🔹 Treating grassroots orgs as essential to student success

Families want to be involved—it's time schools met them halfway.

📖 Read the full article: https://youthtoday.org/2025/06/beyond-classroom-reimagining-school-family-community-engagement-black-youth/

📸 ESB Professional/Shutterstock

"When I saw that Pride flag 🏳️‍🌈, it made me really excited. I felt safer with the adults." - Real words from a young ca...
06/17/2025

"When I saw that Pride flag 🏳️‍🌈, it made me really excited. I felt safer with the adults." - Real words from a young camper

When young people go to camp they want more than just fun and entertainment.
They want PURPOSE. ❕
They want LEARNING. ❕
They want CONNECTION. ❕
They want to BELONG.❕

For LGBTQ+ youth especially, belonging isn't just nice-to-have - it's life-saving. One affirming adult reduces su***de attempts by 40%.

In this new piece from Camp Fire's HK Gilbert, they share how Camp Fire is proving that inclusive spaces transform lives and what the organization's research shows about the profound impact of simple actions like displaying a Pride flag or using chosen pronouns.

Young people are telling us what they need. It's time we listen and act.

👉https://youthtoday.org/2025/06/young-people-are-telling-us-what-they-want-are-you-listening/

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