Academy for Educational Development

AED recently brought together foundation, government, and youth leaders to examine the best ways adults can support young people as they work to make positive changes in their communities.

The half-day conference – “Young People as Powerful Citizens: Are Politicians, Policymakers, and Funders Keeping Pace?” —covered a variety of topics including the intersection of youth activism and political change, and the future of service in the United States under the new presidential administration.

“At AED, we believe that young people must have opportunities to contribute real value,” said Denise G. Borders, senior vice president and director of the AED U.S. Education and Workforce Development group.

To that end, the event opened with a panel of young people who discussed their experiences working with AED’s youth engagement projects. The day also featured a panel discussion with David Eisner, chief executive officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service; Robert Sherman, program director for effective citizenry at the Surdna Foundation; and Greg Taylor, vice president for programs in youth and education at the Kellogg Foundation.  Bonnie Politz, vice president and director of the AED Center for Youth Development, moderated the panel.

One major issue discussed was the uptick in youth involvement in the country, and how well foundations have been able to respond. The three panelists agreed that their organizations need to do more to engage young people.

“While we have success on the rhetoric side, we’re struggling on the execution side,” said Taylor.

Other key speakers were Chris Campbell, legislative director to Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), who discussed a bipartisan bill that would significantly expand service opportunities for youth, and former Sen. Harris Wofford (D-Pa.), who shared a personal account of past and future presidents’ initiatives to promote civic engagement.

Young Leaders Speak

The talents and opinions of young people were also front and center in the discussion. Kanesha Butler, 19, from Nashville, Tenn.; Cara Carter, 17, from Kansas City, Mo.; Brandon Hummons, 17, from Chicago; and Juan Lorenzo, 17, from Newark, N.J.; shared their on-the-ground experience as the direct beneficiaries—and implementers—of youth-focused programs.

One key perspective they related to those attending was that when young people confront adults with sensitive issues such as segregation or inequality, they are often met with resistance. “It’s not like we want to be equal with you all,” said Butler. “It’s just that we want to be heard, to get adults to look at us like we’re somebody.”

At the conference, the youth had no trouble grabbing adults’ attention. Cara Carter was the first in line to question the foundation leaders. She suggested a plan to develop a youth advisory board within each foundation to allocate funds and hold programs accountable.

Making a Difference

To conclude the conference, Andrew J. Schneider-Muñoz, vice president and director of the AED Center for Youth Development, listed the major lessons learned from the diversity and depth of the day’s discussion: intergenerational communication needs to improve; opportunities for youth involvement need to be available for all youth, not just those for whom opportunities already exist; and adults must invest their time, confidence, and funds, in creating and sustaining these opportunities.  

Participants agreed that the conference succeeded in its goal of “increasing the voice, value, and visibility of young people in their communities…and not just giving them a token pat on the back,” as AED’s Denise Borders, described it.

No matter the actions individual programs take, noted Jessica Bynoe, program officer for youth engagement at AED, young people will still manage to be influential leaders in their communities, despite the challenges they face. To show this, Bynoe asked the youth panelists how they became powerful citizens. Juan Lorenzo, responded with ease.

“Because,” he said, “I took responsibility to make a difference in my community.”