The National Youth Employment Coalition’s Youth Champion Communities Framework
National Youth Employment Coalition is proud to announce the Youth Champion Communities Framework (YCCF)—a major national initiative designed to help communities of all sizes assess and substantially improve their capacities to engage and prepare young people for economic mobility and success. The YCCF is a comprehensive framework that seeks to answer the question, “What does a community that best supports its young people truly look like?” This Framework, developed through intensive conversations with community leaders, political leadership, and young people with lived experience from around the country, holds communities to a high standard, while providing them with a roadmap detailing how to get there. Inside, you’ll find recommended actions, examples, and relevant tools to help with implementation in your community. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it together!
A helpful guide to some terminology…
- Domain: Topic area
- Core Component: Focus area within each topic
- Milestone: What a youth champion community should strive towards
- Action Step: How to become a youth champion community
- Example: Organizations embodying these recommendations
- Tool/Resource: Tools to help you implement what we’ve learned
And when we say comprehensive, we mean it! Our domains include…
- Developing a Collaborative Youth Ecosystem
- Helping Young Adults Find Living Wage Employment
- Promoting High Quality Education and Training Options
- Ensuring All Young People Receive Holistic Support
- Promoting Health and Well-Being
- Reaching All Young People
- Promoting Youth Engagement, Leadership, and Co-Design
- Tailoring Services to the Needs of Young People
Phase II: The Mayors Challenge Pilot
During the first phase of this initiative, NYEC worked with 6 cities and their mayors' offices from across the nation to develop the framework including Atlanta, Indianapolis, Scranton, San Antonio, Buffalo, and Louisville. As part of the second phase of this project, NYEC will pilot the YCCF in 5-7 communities across the country. Pilot communities will utilize a community self-assessment, develop a strategic plan, and utilize the implementation tool to focus on system level impacts that support young people and sustain economic mobility. This project will convene a network of local leaders and combine efforts to holistically change the odds for young people. Learn more HERE.
What Do Mayors Have to Say?
