Pathways With Purpose: NYEC at National Service Training
This April, NYEC’s Director of Community Impact, Sheridan Nixon, presented at the National Service Training (NST), hosted by America’s Service Commissions (ASC) — one of the premier national gatherings for AmeriCorps practitioners, state commission staff, and program leaders across the country. It was an opportunity to bring NYEC’s voice and expertise into a room full of people doing critical work in national service, and to make the case that opportunity youth belong at the center of that work.
Alongside partners from FHI 360’s National Institute for Work and Learning (NIWL), NYEC led a breakout session titled Pathways With Purpose: Engaging Opportunity Youth for Service and Mental Health Careers. The room drew a diverse mix of attendees — from those already running programs that engage opportunity youth to those just beginning to explore what that could look like for their organizations. That range made for a rich conversation and reinforced how ready the national service field is for practical guidance on serving this population.
Here’s a look at what we covered, and why it matters.
Who Are Opportunity Youth?
Opportunity youth are young people between the ages of 16 and 24 who are currently out of school and out of work. There are an estimated 4.3 million opportunity youth across the United States — a population that includes young people connected to the justice system, those experiencing housing instability, youth transitioning out of foster care, young people with disabilities, and others navigating compounding barriers to employment and education.
As the session emphasized, the word “disconnected” — long used to describe this group — falls short. Opportunity youth bring expertise, community knowledge, and talent that make them powerful contributors to service programs and the broader workforce but, too often, they are navigating systems that weren’t designed with them in mind.
The Case for AmeriCorps as a Pathway
A central theme of the session was the untapped alignment between AmeriCorps programs and opportunity youth. National service can serve as a critical bridge — offering structured work experience, mentorship, references, credentials, and expanded social capital to young people who may have had limited access to traditional pathways.
The session walked through three interconnected opportunities for AmeriCorps programs looking to engage this population more intentionally:
Recruitment and Outreach
Effective outreach starts with trusted entry points — workforce boards, YouthBuild programs, housing-focused nonprofits, and other youth-serving organizations that already have relationships with opportunity youth. Meeting young people where they are, simplifying application processes, and offering flexible timelines are all critical to reducing barriers at the door.
Trauma-Informed Engagement
Supporting opportunity youth in service programs means designing for real life. This includes offering wraparound supports like childcare and transportation assistance, building trust through consistency and respect, and recognizing that past experiences shape how young people engage. The session introduced participants to activities from NYEC and FHI 360’s pre-apprenticeship curricula that model these principles in practice.
Career Pathways and Credentials
AmeriCorps service can be more than a one-time opportunity — it can be the first step in a longer career pathway. The session highlighted how pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship programs in fields like youth development and mental health can connect service alumni to sustainable, living-wage careers.
Practical Ways to Engage
A key takeaway for conference attendees was the availability of free, ready-to-use pre-apprenticeship curriculum resources developed through the NYEC and FHI 360 partnership, and an upcoming Youth Development Practitioner Apprenticeship cohort.
The curricula are designed as on-ramps to Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) — providing approved training, simulated experience, and facilitated pathways into long-term employment:
- Empowering Futures: A Mental Health Pre-Apprenticeship Curriculum — a 40-hour, four-module curriculum covering mental health awareness, communication and interpersonal skills, mental health support strategies, and career exploration. Designed to prepare participants for roles like Peer Support Specialist and Community Health Worker.
- Youth Development Practitioner (YDP) Pre-Apprenticeship Curriculum — a 42-hour curriculum introducing participants to positive youth development, core competencies, and the skills needed to work effectively in youth-serving organizations.
NYEC and FHI 360 are launching the inaugural Youth Development Practitioner Apprenticeship cohort in July 2026. Organizations can recruit and support apprentices in direct-service roles, with hands-on support from NYEC and FHI 360 throughout — plus a $2,300 stipend for participating. Fill out the interest form here.
Looking Ahead
Presenting at NST reinforced what NYEC already knows: the national service field and the youth employment field are working toward the same goals. The more we’re in the room together, the better the programs we build. NYEC will keep showing up in spaces like this — bringing member expertise and the voices of opportunity youth into conversations that shape how national service is designed and delivered.
Want to learn more about NYEC’s apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship work with opportunity youth?