In 2018, AYPF marked a major milestone by turning 25! Over those 25 years, much has been done to help youth marginalized by systemic inequities to become more successful, and we count our work in improving youth policy as a significant contribution to those efforts.

As an important voice in education, youth, and workforce policy, AYPF has educated, informed, and engaged thousands of policymakers at the national, state, and local levels to help them implement policies that support youth marginalized by systemic inequities in achieving outcomes that are more equitable. Our early work highlighting the plight of the Forgotten Half – those youth who are prepared neither for school nor work – raised awareness about the needs of these youth and resulted in much greater policy focus on ways to help them be successful in college, careers, and life. Our signature work in identifying research on what works to help youth has influenced many positive policy changes across states and communities. We continue to advocate for positive youth development as well as social and emotional learning as critical underpinnings of policies and programs that support youth and believe they are more important than ever, given the changing face of America.

As we think about the future of our work, we are recommitting to our mission of educating, engaging, and informing policymakers, practitioners, and researchers about education, youth, and workforce policies to improve the lives of youth marginalized by systemic inequities. For us, it is a matter of basic fairness that all young people have the necessary supports and services needed to be successful. Over the past 25 years, we have learned a lot about what works and what does not to help youth marginalized by systemic inequities, and we believe that policymakers, armed with the research, data, and knowledge, will make the right decisions for youth.

We invite you to learn more about our work and what we have found works for young people on our redesigned website.