As the U.S. federal government is embroiled in budget making chaos, its easy to fall back into the familiar "there is no money" refrain. Funding might be difficult to secure, but there are two groups of funders looking for communities working together to improve outcomes for "opportunity youth". Other organizations are helping individuals think creatively about revenue and funding sources. Check the following resources for more ideas...

     National Youth Employment Coalition
     Opportunity Youth Incentive Fund
     National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth
     A Bridge to Reconnection: A Review of Federal Funding
     Youth Transition Funders Group

Aspen Forum for Community Solutions has identified 21 communities who are working together for opportunity youth. These communities will receive funding and support to expand their efforts to reconnect youth and young adults. What are these communities doing? They:
            1. Collaborate for impact
            2. Build effective programs and pathways
            3. Use data to guide decision and assess impact
            4. Leverage funding to support and sustain innovation
            5. Develop supportive policies.
Read more about how community wide partnerships and initiative can come together for opportunity youth...

"While many youth become disconnected from education and employment, we  believe that with the right interventions and supports, these young  people could begin to change the trajectory of their lives. Businesses  can play an important role in making this happen and can help these  youth get on a pathway to a better
future. And businesses benefit from  this work, too. Companies already involved in programs that serve this  group of youth describe a range of positive outcomes resulting from  these activities, including increases in employee engagement, customer  loyalty, and employee retention."
This toolkit, created in collaboration with the White House Council for Community Solutions, helps employers support young people with three "lanes" of employment programs. More information...

One key to thriving in a competitive global economy is a properly skilled workforce that can innovate, create new products and services, and bring them to market quickly and efficiently. America remains a leader in innovation, but its workforce is falling behind. Education and workforce development systems have not kept pace with the demands of the 21st century, and we all bear the costs of this failure. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce 2012 report on the skills gap reviews the issues and solutions discussed at regional forums of business and community leaders. Full Report

As jobs that require only high school or less have disappeared, postsecondary education and training on the job and in schools have become the gateways to the middle class. Most postsecondary education and training discussions focus on the baccalaureate pathway, but there has been an increasing interest in so-called “middle jobs.” These are jobs that require education and training beyond high school but less than a
Bachelor’s degree, and secure middle-class earnings.

A recent report by the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce lists high wage "middle" occupations and the five major pathways at the subbaccalaureate level that are most often required for entry: employer-based training, industry-based certifications, apprenticeships, postsecondary certificates, and Associate’s degrees. 

Read more about these occupations and training options...

The White House Council for Community Solutions issues their final report on strategies to address the needs of opportunity youth. The recommendations address: cross-sector community collaborations, shared national responsibility and accountability, engaging youth as leaders in the solution and building on-ramps to employment.

The Council details the need for national and community level solutions. The most critical:
  * Integrated services and wraparound supports in workforce and education systems 
  * Alternative education and employment pathways
  * Advanced credentialing opportunities

Read the complete report..

Social Impact Research, the research division of Root Cause, releases an issue brief outlining the potential positive impact of re-engaing out of school and work youth in education, training and the workforce. According to research, effective investments in "disengaged youth" could reverse staggering individual and societal costs:

           $ 306,906         Lifetime cost of one high school dropout to the government
           $ 65.8 billion     Potential earnings loss of disengaged youth

Preparing disengaged youth for and connecting them to meaningful work experience can, according to the brief:
1. Encourage youth to re-engage with school
2. Develop academic persistence and career aspirations
3. Enable youth to gain valuable transferable job skills 
4. Reduce risky and deviant behaviors such as criminal activity, drug use, pregnancy, and violence
5. Reduce isolation for youth
6. Increase their self-awareness, resilience, hopefulness, and ability to cope with traumatic experience

For more information on the costs of disengaged youth, the barriers experienced by at-risk youth, and the qualities of effective programs...

            Social Issue Report: Youth Career Development