National

In order for community partnerships to have a positive collective impact on young people’s lives, federal policies need to support comprehensive, place-based interagency efforts. The Forum for Youth Investment, in partnership with the National Collaboration for Youth, American Institutes for Research, the Campaign for Youth, the Children's Leadership Council and the Aspen Forum for Community Solutions, hosted a webinar to learn about the White House and the Obama Administration’s plans to support such comprehensive efforts for youth in general, and for disconnected youth in particular.

According to the introduction of this report, “Early childhood investments are the starting place for a high-quality, aligned system of pre-K-16 education, providing the necessary skills to allow all children to succeed throughout their schooling.

What does it take to support disconnected youth? We know it takes not just one program, but a range of supports and opportunities. This White House paper outlines some of the existing barriers to comprehensive efforts along with some sensible steps federal policymakers can take to make it easier for providers in communities.

Do you ever feel like well-intentioned people around you are working hard but, to borrow a cliché, it looks like the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing?