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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.

10/11/2025

💪 "𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗜'𝗺 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝟭𝟲, 𝗜'𝗺 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁."

A 16-year-old in foster care shares her story of learning to advocate for herself — originally published in Represent by Youth Communication .

𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆:
- Entered foster care at 12
- Bounced between homes, facilities, and back to mom
- At 15, chose to stay in foster care for stability
- Was misclassified as "therapeutic" when she was the "good kid"
- Over 100 placement attempts failed because of this label

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁:Her lawyer Caroline taught her rights she never knew:
✓ Access your own case files
✓ Speak to the judge yourself
✓ You should receive clothing, food, hygiene products (she'd been paying herself!)
✓ Every youth gets a team: lawyer, case planner, life coach, caseworker

𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸: Got psychiatric evaluations, corrected false reports in her files, changed her classification and is now waiting for placement with a foster mom she knows and trusts.

"𝗜'𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲. 𝗜'𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀."

Real youth agency = a teen deciding their life is worth fighting for. 🎯

Read her full story → https://youthtoday.org/2025/11/never-too-young-to-be-an-advocate/

06/11/2025

💙 "𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒖𝒕."

That's why a 16-year-old disclosed abuse to a stranger—a facilitator who simply mentioned child sexual abuse matter-of-factly during a training.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 20 boys experience sexual abuse before age 18. Yet many youth professionals never hear disclosures.

𝗪𝗵𝘆? Young people only tell adults who can stay calm. They don't want to cause pain or lose control.

Elizabeth Clemants, founder of Hidden Water and trauma expert with 30+ years experience, shares what makes a "safe adult":
✓ Speak about sexual harm calmly, not urgently
✓ Make it clear the topic is speakable
✓ Practice simple phrases: "It's common for young people to be touched sexually when they don't want to be. That's not their fault."
✓ Respond with steadiness: "Thank you for telling me. I'm here to help you navigate this."

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵: Child sexual abuse doesn't disappear when unspoken—it spreads.

What we say calmly, clearly, and often may be the difference between a young person reaching out or staying silent. 💙

Read the full story ➡️ https://youthtoday.org/2025/11/what-we-dont-say-about-child-sexual-abuse-why-it-matters/

05/11/2025

💔 $𝟭𝟲𝟱 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟴. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀—𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.

In at least 49 states, child welfare agencies search case files, find youth with Social Security benefits, become their "representative payee," and intercept funds—often without the child's knowledge.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮: Over $900/month for some youth, totaling tens of thousands during their time in care. Money that could cover college or an apartment down payment.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: States use it for "room and board"—something they're already mandated to provide.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩: Youth aging out at 18 with $25 in their pocket, facing homelessness, academic struggles, and damaged credit.

William Kang, a high school senior, calls this what it is: a profound ethical breach that robs vulnerable youth of their financial foundation.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: Ban the practice and create protected accounts youth can access upon aging out. States like Massachusetts prove it's possible.

Every young person deserves an equitable foundation for their future. 💪

Read the full article ➡️ Link in Bio

29/10/2025

🔗 𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓—𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉.

New research in the Journal of Youth Development reveals a critical insight: young people need skills, confidence, and support to turn connections into opportunities.

Erica Van Steenis, Ashley Boat and Miray Seward studied 74 youth, alumni, and staff across six programs and found four ways social capital gets mobilized:

1️⃣ Youth-driven - Taking initiative (LinkedIn outreach, forming study groups)

2️⃣ Connection-driven - Peers/mentors make introductions

3️⃣ Organization-connected - Programs provide tools (resume templates, networking scripts)

4️⃣ Organization-driven - Programs broker opportunities directly (guaranteed interviews, internships)

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁: It's not just about youth initiative. Organizations create the conditions that make mobilization possible. 🎯

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽:

✓ Assess which domains are strongest in your program

✓ Train staff to leverage their own networks as connectors

✓ Tailor support to different comfort levels with initiative

✓ Foster alumni returning as mentors (pay-it-forward culture)

✓ Recognize this as an equity strategy

For youth from marginalized communities, mobilizing social capital can counter systemic barriers.

"Relationships matter most when young people can activate them." 💪

Read the full article ➡️ https://youthtoday.org/2025/10/relationships-opportunities-learned-social-capital-mobilization/

29/10/2025

🚨 89% of employers avoid hiring recent graduates. The top reason? They don't know how to work well on a team.

As AI handles routine tasks, our human value increasingly depends on our ability to collaborate and solve novel challenges. Yet traditional education often celebrates individual achievement while the workplace demands teamwork.

Dan Gonzalez, CEO of District C, shares how reimagined internships can bridge this gap. Over the past 8 years, 9,000+ students have tackled live business challenges through District C's Teamship program—from boosting employee engagement for software firms to helping cities address illegal waste dumping.

Four ways this model prepares students for the future of work: 💼

1️⃣ Teaching collective intelligence - Students like Lamont, once a self-described loner, learn to ask probing questions and synthesize different viewpoints.

2️⃣ Enabling career exploration - Working on problems from Snapchat, IBM, and the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, students sample fields without declaring a major.

3️⃣ Pairing students with expert coaches - Teachers shift from answer-givers to coaches, creating a culture of collaboration and student ownership.

4️⃣ Removing traditional barriers- Happening during the school day eliminates transportation and scheduling obstacles that typically exclude students.

The bottom line: In real work, your value is measured by the contribution you make with and for others.

The future belongs to those who know how to coordinate with others to do hard things. 🎯

Read the full article ➡️ https://youthtoday.org/2025/10/four-ways-reimagined-internship-prepares-students-teachers-future-work/

24/10/2025

Jodi Grant from Afterschool Alliance highlights new data from America After 3PM.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆: 📊 29.6 million children have parents who want afterschool programs for them. But 3 in 4 youth who need afterschool programs can't access them.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗴𝗮𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴: 💰 High-income families ($200K+) now spend 9X more on afterschool activities than low-income families (under $30K)—up from 5X just five years ago.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: 🎯
✓ Programs boost school attendance & learning excitement
✓ Youth build teamwork, critical thinking, leadership skills
✓ 84% of parents say programs help them keep their jobs
✓ 92% report lower stress when kids are in programs

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? 𝟵𝟱%. Programs work. Families want them. Yet millions are locked out by cost and availability.

"We teach kids how to play, we introduce kids to careers...to the things that they didn't know that they were good at. We should not be having to fight and worry about funding for young people." — Manny Padia, Afterschool Ambassador

Read More ➡️ https://youthtoday.org/2025/10/unmet-demand-afterschool-programs-painfully-high-3-4-youth-missing/

22/10/2025

🎯 "𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚?" 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.

Michaela Leslie-Rule, author of "How We See Us: Young People Imagining a Path to Their Futures," shares a powerful reframe: Instead of asking young people what they want to be, ask them "How do you want to live? What do you want to experience? How do you want to feel?"

In her recent Q&A with Youth Today, Leslie-Rule—a senior program officer at the Gates Foundation—reveals critical insights from her research with Black and Hispanic young people:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴-𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴-𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸: Young people clearly articulated what "thriving" feels like (control over time, resources, ability to travel) even when unsure of the specific occupation that would get them there. Many described currently "surviving" in jobs where they feel replaceable and lack control.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗗𝗼:
✓ Stop presenting career paths as linear—they're not
✓ Tell honest stories about feedback loops, risks, failure, and fear
✓ Let young people explore and experiment without catastrophizing their choices
✓ Build systems that allow all young people to "try out" life safely
✓ Trust young people to make good decisions

🌟 The key insight? Young people want to make decisions without their "whole life hinging on a single decision they make when they are 17 or 18 or 20."

Read the full Q&A ➡️ https://youthtoday.org/2025/10/qa-michaela-leslie-rule-how-we-see-us/

22/10/2025

📚 18 school moves before age 19.

For foster youth, back-to-school means another unfamiliar classroom. Chronic absenteeism is hitting them hardest. They're more likely to miss school, repeat grades, and drop out. 💔

The good news? Research shows keeping foster youth in the same school after placement changes = academic success. 🌟

Gaile Osborne, executive director of the Foster Family Alliance of North Carolina family alliance of north =Foster Family Alliance of NC and foster parent to 30+ children, shares what works:
✓ Caregivers + afterschool staff coordinating
✓ Transportation to keep kids in their original school
✓ Connecting families to housing, counseling, community support
✓ Listening to foster youth voices

No one system can do this alone. But together, we can build the web of support that keeps foster youth showing up and thriving.

Read More ➡️ https://youthtoday.org/2025/10/what-back-school-season-reveals-youth-foster-care-attendance-crisis/

15/10/2025

Lisa Aman, executive director of Kate's Club shares how 22 years of supporting grieving children and families has taught them that truly listening to teens transforms programming. 💙

What they've changed:
✔️ Created teens-only lounges for deeper peer connection
✔️ Established a teen advisory council to center youth voice
✔️ Shifted from advice-first to discussion-first programming (older teens feel adults rush in with suggestions rather than giving them space to be heard)
✔️ Launched a young adult program for the transition after regular programming ends

The result: A "third space" where teens feel safe with mentors and peers who understand grief—no matter how messy it feels. 🌟

The takeaway for all youth development professionals: Set aside resources to understand how to create true belonging for teenagers. Youth voice drives better programs.

Read More ➡️ https://youthtoday.org/2025/10/evolving-teens-building-programs-keep-connected-grief/

14/10/2025

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨? 🔍

The YPAR Network just released a new video series on Youth Participatory Action Research – an equity-focused approach where youth and adults partner to conduct systematic research and drive real change.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻:
- Youth gain leadership, research, and advocacy skills
- Adults experience professional growth and job satisfaction
- Policies and programs are created or adapted to meet young people's needs

Young people have investigated everything from mental health promotion to school lunch improvement, using surveys, interviews, and art to gather data and advocate for change. 📊

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝟮𝟬-𝟯𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀:
1️⃣ What is YPAR
2️⃣ Why it matters
3️⃣ How to plan for it

Six more videos coming soon. ✨

Perfect for educators, youth workers, community organizers and anyone wanting to collaborate with young people for meaningful change.

By Heather Kennedy, PhD, MPH, Colorado School of Public Health , and Elia Delphi, School of Social Welfare at UC Berkeley

Read the Full Story ➡️ https://youthtoday.org/2025/10/curiosity-action-learn-engage-youth-ypar/

13/10/2025

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