Field Supports

The Forum for Youth Investment has always sought to bring together a wealth of supports and services for the child and youth field. We achieve this by building our capacity: we actively lead and manage organizations that can encourage advocacy, improve the workforce, measure and improve the quality of learning experiences and offer better communication avenues. By bringing these assets within the Forum, we can contribute to the work they are already doing and, ultimately, give leaders easier access to these great resources to make more informed decisions and plan more effectively.

1. Provide youth workers, who work directly with youth, with the proper supports and resources. More committed and prepared youth workers offer a better overall experience to kids in these programs.

   The Next Generation Youth Work Coalition (Next Gen) brings together individuals and organizations dedicated to developing a strong, diverse after-school and youth development workforce that is stable, prepared, supported and committed to the well-being and empowerment of children and youth. Next Gen believes that this entails progress in at least five key areas: standards and competencies; professional development and training resources; learning delivery systems; career ladders and compensation guidelines; and research and evaluation systems. The primary role the Coalition is to inform and support ongoing discussions about the public policy, institutional, organizational and individual changes needed to build workforce capacity. Next Gen is supported by Cornerstones for Kids, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the Lilly Endowment.

2. Give individuals and organizations stories, information and tools to learn about a range of issues and to take action to improve policies and programs that affect children and youth, and, ultimately, the fabric of our nation as a whole.

SparkAction is a one-stop site for stories, news and interactive advocacy tools. The website covers the range of child and youth issues and gives organizations, leaders and young people themselves a place to share their knowledge and ideas, and together raise a stronger voice for change. Whether you're looking for the latest research on early childhood or college access, first-hand stories from foster care, a way to tell your Representatives what you think about school reform and anything in between, SparkAction.org can help.

3. Improve the quality of young people's learning experiences and increase returns on current investments.

The David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality (CYPQ) is a joint venture between the Forum and the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation. The Weikart Center's mission is to position point of service quality as a powerful public idea that drives research, policy, practice and public opinion on what it takes the improve young people's learning experiences and increase returns on current investments in programs for youth.