June Newsletter
What’s Happening at NYEC: JUNE 2026
Grab your Early Bird Discount for the D.C. Summit!
NYEC is excited to host its fourth annual convening in Washington, D.C., September 21st – 23rd, where community leaders and young people will participate in learning activities and meet with legislators to discuss how best to support young people’s economic mobility and overall well-being.
Formerly known as Youth Days in Washington, D.C., this reimagined summit equips young people and workforce leaders to engage with policymakers, share their experiences, and explore strategies that expand opportunity for youth.
The 2026 theme, Bridging Practice to Policy, reflects NYEC’s belief that those closest to the work are best positioned to shape effective solutions for young people and their communities.
Be sure to purchase your tickets before July 15th to take advantage of the Early Bird discount! Attendees should also book their hotel room by August 29th to ensure they get our discounted rate of $249/night.
Boston Partners Explore New Approaches to Youth Employment and Housing Stability
What happens when organizations working across housing, workforce development, education, and youth services come together around a shared question: How can we better support young people on their path to economic mobility?
On Tuesday, June 30, NYEC’s Community Impact team will convene organizations from across Greater Boston in a virtual collaborative session focused on the connection between housing stability, employment, education, and long-term opportunity for young people. Building on months of stakeholder engagement and relationship building, the session will provide an opportunity for partners to share perspectives, identify common challenges, and explore opportunities for stronger collaboration.
The work has brought together a diverse group of organizations that share a commitment to expanding opportunity for youth and young adults. By creating space for dialogue, shared learning, and collective problem-solving, the initiative is helping partners better understand one another’s work and consider how existing resources, programs, and relationships can support young people
navigating multiple systems.
As the project continues, NYEC will support local partners in shaping priorities, identifying opportunities for collaboration, and determining what actions may have the greatest impact in their community. The goal is not to prescribe solutions, but to help communities build on their existing strengths and expertise to create pathways that support economic mobility and well-being for young people.
Get Involved
Interested in learning how communities are strengthening connections across housing, workforce, education, and youth-serving systems? Connect with NYEC to learn more about our Community Impact initiatives and opportunities to engage with peers across the country.
Reflections from the Business Roundtable Skilled Trades for America Forum
The National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC) recently attended the Business Roundtable Skilled Trades for America Forum and left energized by the momentum, collaboration, and shared commitment to strengthening America’s workforce.
The forum brought together employers, foundations, workforce leaders, educators, policymakers, and community organizations around a critical question:
How do we build talent pipelines strong enough to meet the moment?
The answer starts with recognizing a fundamental reality: we cannot continue discussing workforce shortages while overlooking millions of young adults seeking meaningful opportunities to learn, earn, and contribute.
Across the country, employers are facing growing talent needs, particularly within the skilled trades. At the same time, millions of young people remain disconnected from school and work. This is not simply a talent shortage. It is a challenge of alignment, access, and opportunity.
One of the most encouraging moments of the forum was the announcement of Business Roundtable’s partnerships with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, SkillsUSA, and Goodwill Industries. These collaborations reflect an important truth: workforce development requires an ecosystem approach. Career exploration, workforce readiness, skills development, employer engagement, and economic mobility cannot happen in isolation.
At NYEC, we see this every day through our work with youth-serving organizations, employers, policymakers, educators, and workforce practitioners nationwide. Strong workforce systems are built when stakeholders work together to create connected pathways that help young people successfully transition into careers and economic mobility.
A message from the forum that particularly resonated was: “Boutiques are out. Scale is in.”
We would add another important word to that conversation: sustainability.
The future of workforce development depends on scalable, sustainable solutions that are built through partnership rather than competition. When employers, educators, workforce systems, and community organizations align around shared goals, they can create lasting change that benefits both young people and the economy.
The encouraging news is that momentum is building. Across sectors, leaders are recognizing that solving workforce challenges requires expanding opportunity, investing in talent development, and strengthening partnerships that connect young people to quality careers.
NYEC looks forward to continuing this work alongside partners across the country to ensure that every young person has access to the opportunities, support, and pathways needed to thrive in today’s economy and tomorrow’s workforce. READ MORE
Policy Spotlight
House Appropriations Committee Advances LHHS Bill, Proposes Large Cuts to Youth Workforce Development Programs:
The bill, which provides funding for all youth workforce development programs, was advanced along party lines. The bill proposes concerning funding levels for NYEC priorities:
The Good: – Apprenticeship: $290,000,000 (+$5m from FY26) – YouthBuild: $107,500,000 (+$2.5m from FY26) The Bad: – Job Corps: $880,078,000 (-$880m from FY26) The Really Bad: – Proposes to zero out WIOA Youth, Adult Education (WIOA Title II), and Reentry Employment Opportunities funding These funding levels do not meet the need of youth-serving programs to support young people seeking employment opportunities. NYEC is encouraging its network to contact their Representatives to express why this bill would do more harm than good. A template can be found HERE.
Member Highlight
This June, we’re taking a moment to celebrate the people and organizations who make NYEC what it is. From direct service providers and workforce development professionals to policy advocates and youth-serving nonprofits, our coalition spans the full ecosystem of Opportunity Youth work, united by a shared belief that every young person deserves a pathway to success.
Since our founding 47 years ago, NYEC has grown into a national community of practitioners, advocates, and changemakers spanning Oregon to Massachusetts. One of our members has been part of this coalition for nearly 39 years — a testament to the enduring relationships and shared purpose that keep people rooted here. Just as inspiring are our newer members, who are already making their mark within their first few years of joining.
Some highlights we are excited to share!
- Board member updates: Bernadette Tavares of Foster Forward (Rhode Island) has been appointed as Vice Chair of our Board of Directors, and Caroline Brown-Williamson of HIGHTS (North Carolina) has been elected as Secretary.
- Several members have celebrated milestones of over 3 decades with NYEC! At our Community Connections activity, our longest member present had been in the coalition for 39 years.
- This year at our Annual Forum, Houston Mayor John Whitmire proclaimed April 1st as NYEC Day. This is a historic milestone and one that is truly a reflection of the partnership and work of our local partners committee in the city.
- Members take action! In partnership with longtime coalition member Veolia, NYEC launched a national partnership connecting Opportunity Youth to careers in the water sector.
- A policy win: This year we led an inaugural Dear Colleague letter with our coalition partners calling for increased federal funding for youth workforce programs. In the House, the letter gained bipartisan support through the Bipartisan Opportunity Youth Caucus (BOYC), which relaunched this February. In the Senate, the Democratic-led letter received 11 additional signatures. Thank you to all of our NYEC members who join our policy committee each month, and to our co-chairs Trinh Nguyen, City of Boston, and Christine James-McKenzie, Jobs First NYC.
Together, these milestones reflect the strength of a coalition built on collaboration, leadership, and a shared commitment to expanding opportunity for young people. Thank you for being part of our community, and if you’re not yet a member, we’d love to welcome you.