These statements were collaboratively developed over the course of 2022 by a group of 40+ OY movement leaders, including many young adults, in a process facilitated by Ken Thompson, a Senior Fellow at the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions.

Vision
In ten years, our society will fully embrace and value youth and young adults in every respect, including supporting all youth, particularly those most excluded from opportunities, to have equitable access to education, employment and other pursuits of their choice. Young people themselves will have power over the forces that impact them, and lead the charge in creating the future they desire.

Specific Targets
By 2033, reduce the number of opportunity youth 50%, by reconnecting 3 million opportunity youth to jobs and reduce racial and other inequities in rates of youth disconnection.

Goals

• Institutionalize the Power for Change with Young People
• Increase the Social Connection, Belonging and Well-Being of OY
• Change Society’s Beliefs, Perceptions and Create a More Positive Narrative About OY
• Increase the Focus on Equity, Particularly Racial Equity, in Both Processes and Outcomes for OY
• Ensure OY’s Basic Needs Are Met, and Barriers to Opportunity Removed
• Improve Access to Education Opportunities and Credential Completion
• Increase Economic Security and Create More Well-Paying and Meaningful Employment
• Opportunities and Business Opportunities that Support Wealth Building
• Increase Public and Private Investment in Youth and Youth Programs

Read the statement for further definition of these goals.