The millions of young people forgotten amid pandemic response

Melody Barnes and John Bridgeland

Opportunity youth are being forgotten amid the pandemic, leaving them even more left behind

Melody Barnes is the chair of the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions and Opportunity Youth Forum. She is co-founder and principal of MB² Solutions, a domestic strategy firm, and a senior fellow and Compton Visiting Professor in World Politics at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. Among her many previous roles, Melody was assistant to President Barack Obama and director of the White House Domestic Policy Council from 2009 until 2012. This piece was co-authored by John Bridgeland, who served as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, assistant to the President of the United States, under President George W. Bush. This piece originally appeared in The Hill.   

As Congress debates its next steps to save and rebuild the economy, it would be wise to remember the nearly 5 million “Opportunity Youth” — young adults aged 16 to 24 who aren’t in school or employed, but were overcoming great odds to improve their lives before the pandemic hit. It is common for people to discount opportunity youth because some were recently homeless or involved in the juvenile justice or child welfare systems. But, as former domestic policy advisors to two presidents — one Democrat, one Republican — we work with many of them, side-by-side; recognize their potential, goals and contributions; and know a full recovery from this crisis will not occur without them. Opportunity youth play an increasingly critical role in our communities and our economy. The pandemic has ushered in unprecedented unemployment among young people in America. Nearly 8 million workers under the age of 30 are unemployed. Three million dropped out of the workforce between mid-April and mid-May. Blacks and Latinos have been hit harder than other racial groups. As young adults who are disproportionately from communities of color, the implications for opportunity youth are laid bare as these numbers continue to rise.