The Foresight Initiative

What’s Ahead for Youth and Youth Services

 

The Challenge

We are living through an extremely volatile time. Young people are increasingly traumatized by the violence, racism, political unrest, and contention that has shaken their communities, either brought on or fueled by the pandemic. Longstanding problems related to diversity, pay inequity, and burnout have been called out, and social workers and teachers are exhausted. Administrators are trying to keep programs open, revive their workforce, re-allocate resources, and navigate a new dependency on technology. Government and philanthropy are challenged to carry on, funding immediate needs while planning for an uncertain future.

The Opportunity

But innovation is born of crisis and over the past two years we have seen this firsthand. Colleagues have converted a vacant building into housing for unaccompanied refugee children; trained case managers as wellness and employment specialists for clients and staff; and created a national center that puts ‘lived experience’ at the heart of policy and practice. Youth are leaders in child welfare, climate change, and anti-gun violence movements, and adults are listening. Every day young and veteran colleagues discover unexpected approaches to make lasting improvements to policies and programs. 

Our Response

It is within this dynamic context that Youth Catalytics launched The Foresight Initiative, to explore the creative pivots and forward-thinking innovations reverberating throughout our field. We have been asking young and adult experts across the spectrum—what new competencies does the workforce need? What are the most effective technological applications to use with children and youth? How can organizations successfully incorporate the increasing activism, leadership, and voices of youth? The Foresight Initiative will share noteworthy strategies as we uncover them and produce a summary report in 2023. 

The Benefits

As innovations continue to emerge, it is clear we all have a lot to learn. We believe that to harness the myriad opportunities before us, it is essential to take a new look at the evolving needs of youth, and the changed realities of the programs designed to support them. We believe our findings will inspire collaborative dialog, further youth empowerment, and foster forward-thinking research. And by showcasing dynamic innovations that can be widely replicated, the Foresight Initiative will help colleagues and their organizations emerge from this time stronger, more creative, more productive, and more effective. 

It’s time to think big. And differently. And courageously.

Insights from the Field

‘We’ve got to reset the table.’- PODCAST

Our latest interview is with Mishaela Durán, the new President & CEO of The Forum for Youth Investment. Mishaela spoke about how she saw government entities and programs pivot and innovate during the pandemic, her commitment to youth, her lived experience in foster care, her early career in juvenile justice, what the future looks like for the Forum, and more. Listen to our conversation and tell us what you think.

Insights from the Field

‘This money does not belong to us.’- PODCAST

Our conversation with Dr. Gislaine N. Ngounou, Interim President and CEO of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation (NMEF). Dr. Ngounou discussed her beliefs on philanthropy, the challenges that NMEF and other foundations faced during the pandemic, the centrality of youth voice and partnerships, and more. Check out our talk and leave us a comment here.

Insights from the Field

‘Building the machine to make sure it gets done.’

An in-depth Q&A with Sixto Cancel, the founder and CEO of Think of Us and the Center for Lived Experience. He grew up in, and aged out of the child welfare system and now works to transform foster care and child welfare on a national level. Sixto spoke about his organizations’ experiences during the pandemic, his goals for the future of foster care, and the importance of lived experience. Read the full interview and listen to brief clips here.

Insights from the Field

‘We can’t thrive if others aren’t.’- PODCAST

Our conversation with Dr. David Osher, Vice President and Institute Fellow at American Institutes for Research. David spoke about his enduring commitment to evidence, how we must work together to create the conditions for collective thriving, the significance of unfiltered youth voice, humility and inquisitiveness as heightened competencies, and much more. Listen to David’s conversation with our own Melanie Goodman and share your thoughts.

Insights from the Field

‘Kids coming out of the pandemic are not broken.’

A Q&A with Beth Birnstihl, PhD., the Mission to Market Director for the National 4-H Council. 4‑H is the largest youth development organization in the U.S., providing mentoring and research-based programming to nearly six million young people. Beth spoke about the strengths and innovations she saw in young people throughout the entire Cooperative Extension 4-H system over the past few years. Read the entire interview here.

Insights from the Field

‘Meeting the existential crisis of this generation.’- PODCAST

Our interview with Claire Wyneken, President and CEO of Wyman Center, a 100-year old youth development organization that provides supports youth in St. Louis and beyond. Claire talked about what Wyman is doing to focus on young people’s well-being, deepening and expanding partnerships in the community, and inviting young people to become official stakeholders in the organization. Listen to the conversation below and let us know your takeaways here.

Insights from the Field

‘The work is so much bigger than it ever was.’

Our interview with Bridget Alexander, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Waking the Village, which provides housing and support to Sacramento’s homeless community, parenting youth, and their children. She discusses pandemic challenges, adapting services in response, lessons learned, and what changed and will stay changed. Read it here.

Insights from the Field

“Get in the beehive.” - PODCAST

A conversation with Steven Jella, Associate Executive Director for San Diego Youth Services. We discuss how his organization went from “90% in-person services to 90% remote services in just 5 days” at the start of the pandemic, and how he has focused on preserving his workforce over this past year. Listen to the full conversation and leave us a comment.

Research from the Field

Supporting transgender and nonbinary youth.

We are continuing our curation of the latest pandemic research with a brief review of the literature and reporting on how transgender and nonbinary youth have been under attack across the country. States have passed legislation encouraging discrimination against them and targeting their access to health care. The current political discourse in the country is negatively impacting the mental health of these youth, but there are glimmers of hope and ways to help youth feel more seen, supported, and heard. Read how here.

Research from the Field

Mending the mental health of today’s children and youth.

The breadth of pandemic literature has been truly monumental, and trying to digest it all, nearly impossible. Understanding that, we are highlighting some of the most effective and informative research we’re reading; curating noteworthy analysis, comprehensive data, and compelling findings from the experts in child and youth services who have their finger on the pulse of the field’s ongoing pandemic challenges. Read the latest research here.