Meaningful youth engagement and strong youth-adult partnerships benefit youth, adults, organizations, and communities alike; however, we are still learning how to do these things well.

Pathways for Youth is a federal strategic plan with important recommendations to improve the lives of young people by increasing their involvement in their own communities and the decisions that affect them.

The plan envisions the following:

• Youth and their families have safe, healthy, and stable places to live, learn, and work.
• Youth have opportunities to access high-quality, affordable health care.
• Youth have multiple opportunities to get an education, as well as training and life skills development, and to succeed in jobs, careers, self-sufficiency, and adulthood.
• Youth have strong, positive, and stable connections to family, peers, school, supportive adults, and community.
• Youth-serving organizations and partnerships are staffed by individuals who are well trained, knowledgeable in the field, competent, and compassionate and who know how to work with people from many different backgrounds and identities.
• Youth are recognized by their community for their strengths and are given multiple opportunities to get involved in federal, state, and local decision making, service, and leadership.
• Youth thrive throughout all phases of their development, including early and middle childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood.

We would like to hear how the organizations that you are part of, or lead, are working to make the goals of the plan a reality. If you feel inspired by the plan, we want to know what you’d like to do to improve the lives of youth in your community and how the ideas in the plan help inform your vision. You can also read what others are sharing and join the conversations about the entries below.