April YouthNotes: Youth Art, Forum Planning, an Update from CCRY, and More

Lifting All Boats in Our Field

Standing before long boats built of bamboo and coffee filters by young people (one is pictured to the right), I felt viscerally the artistry that went into this project – and the human potential we leave on the table as a country when we don’t find ways to support all young people on their journey to self-sufficiency.

The pictures in this issue of YouthNotes come from the California Family Life Center. The boats are filled with letters by young people to their past selves, powerful warnings about the challenges they will face, better paths that could have been taken, and what future lies in store for them.

NYEC Forum is October 18-19

Mark your calendars for NYEC's popular Annual Forum! Tuesday, October 18, will feature an afternoon of interaction with the federal policymakers whose decisions most directly affect your work. A full day of practice-oriented learning sessions will follow on Wednesday, October 19. Interested in helping to plan sessions for the Forum? Email Kate O'Sullivan at [email protected].

Dispatch from CCRY: Successes and Challenges in Reconnecting

It’s hard to believe that CCRY (Communities Collaborating to Reconnect Youth), which met last month in DC, is ten years old. Read more...

You're the Best Ambassador for NYEC:

Materials for Potential Members

A one-pager on the benefits of NYEC membership, including information on joining.
This week NYEC released a brief on opportunities to leverage the new Every Student Succeeds Act for dropout prevention, in partnership with the Alliance for Excellent Education and the Center for Law and Social Policy.
Recently NYEC created a guide for talking about the this year's federal appropriations process.

More Youth Art from the California Family Life Center

(Above) CFLC youth made papier mache models of their own bodies, then placed them in relationship with one another

(Below) Young people at CFLC use painting to depict their place in the world

Tools and Recent Research

A new MDRC evidence scan describes what works in helping disconnected young people aged 16-24, looking across recent impact, quasi-experimental, and implementation studies.
The Fordham Institute has released an analysis of the benefits of career and technical education in high school.
A new brief from the Seattle Jobs Initiative and the National Skills Coalition looks across four states and makes recommendations for effective SNAP Education and Training programs.
New Brookings research suggests a link between income inequality and high school dropout among low-income youth.
Susan Dynarski analyzes the net effect of student loan interest rate reductions, and what steps would most benefit low-income college students.

Don't forget to share YouthNotes with others in your organization who work on youth issues

Photo credits: NYEC photos from the California Family Life Center. Used with permission.