From October 20-21 in Newark, New Jersey, the inaugural Aspen Ideas: Economy convening brought together leaders, scholars and innovators to explore how cities and networks can shape economic futures that work for everyone. For the Opportunity Youth Forum (OYF) and Global Opportunity Youth Network (GOYN) programs at the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions (AFCS) – this gathering highlighted the power of deep, long-term commitments – anchored in place and lifted by youth voice – to create meaningful pathways for young people.
Newark as an Engine of Place-Based Change
The session Homegrown Prosperity for Youth: From Newark to Networks Across the Globe featured voices that embody place-driven transformation: Newark Opportunity Youth Network (NOYN) CEO Robert Clark, young leader Yaneliz Cabrera, and Global Opportunity Youth Network founding director Jamie McAuliffe each spoke to how Newark’s ecosystem – rooted in multi-sector collaboration, youth leadership, and sustained investment – offers lessons for the nation and the world. Shané Harris, Vice President of Social Responsibility and Partnerships at Prudential and President of The Prudential Foundation, moderated this discussion.
Cabrera, a graduate of LEAD Charter School and NOYN Sensemaking Fellow brought a direct perspective from Newark’s youth, remarking: “All youth deserve opportunity. I had people who believed in me, and that made me want to do the same for others.”
Clark reminded us of the patience and relationships required for transformational change: “When you’re committed to community, and you want to work on deep challenges, it’s the relationships that keep you here.”
McAuliffe connected Newark’s legacy to Aspen’s global network, observing: “Young people aren’t waiting for systems to fix themselves – they’re building solutions every day. When communities like Newark model what’s possible locally, it ripples outward – from city to state to globe – as a blueprint for belonging and shared prosperity.”
Advancing Policy through Bipartisan Collaboration
In a companion session, the conversation Building Bipartisan Consensus Around Jobs for Young People brought together New Jersey legislative leaders to align on the urgency of youth-employment pathways. Moderator Daniel Croson (NOYN’s Chief of Staff) guided the discussion with Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz (D-29) and Assemblyman Al Barlas (R-40). What followed was a practical, solutions-oriented conversation focused on how New Jersey can move from awareness to sustained action – aligning public, private, and community partners to ensure young people have clear pathways to success.
Senator Ruiz put it directly: “The cost of doing nothing is far greater than the cost of investing.”
Assemblyman Barlas echoed the sentiment: “When it comes to youth, schools and wraparound services, we have to make sustained investments year over year if you want to see significant return on that investment. And this can’t just be government in a silo. It requires collaboration with the private sector and the nonprofit sector
Their bipartisan exchange underscored that investing in youth is not a partisan issue. It is a shared economic and moral imperative. The New Jersey Opportunity Youth Coalition – with NOYN as its backbone – is working across the aisle and the state to advance this common agenda.
From Local to State to Global: Growing Networks
What unfolded in Newark reflects the expanding footprint of the Opportunity Youth Forum (OYF) network. From local collaboratives grounded in the, the movement is now extending into state-level coalitions such as the California Opportunity Youth Network (COYN) and the Texas Opportunity Youth Network (TOYN). These platforms leverage lessons from community-based practice to influence state systems, policy, and public investment. Building on our 2024 State Policy Summit, the OYF’s State Networks Community of Practice launched in May 2025 at the OYF Convening in Los Angeles. State leaders from New Mexico to Montana to Washington State closed out the Fall 2025 OYF Convening with a session focused on influence and narrative strategies.
In her opening remarks in Newark, Monique Miles, director of the Opportunity Youth Forum and managing director of the Aspen Forum for Community Solutions, reflected on what this growth means for the movement. “In a shifting economy that’s powered by creativity, skills and adaptability, we must center the needs of the rising generation and invest in opportunity as a smart workforce strategy that leads to long-term sustainable leadership and impact.”
Looking Ahead
Through the lens of Newark’s experience and the growing global Opportunity Youth movement, we see that youth-centered systems change is both a practice and a promise – one grounded in patience, trust, and collaboration. When young people lead and communities commit for the long haul, we move closer to an economy where all young people can thrive in their livelihoods and overall wellbeing. From Newark to networks across the globe,the Aspen Forum’s call remains the same: to build with youth, stay grounded in place, and keep expanding the circle of opportunity.
As Monique Miles, Managing Director of the Forum for Community Solutions put it in her welcome to the thriving economy begins with/requires young people at the core who are supported, believed in, and equipped to shape their own futures or economic opportunity is not accidental –it’s created through collective commitment, and cross-sector collaboration and by engaging young people at the core – something that alludes to economic opportunity and young people thriving.