The Coalition Supporting Young Adults creates and implements a shared agenda through eight key activities:
- Engage Young People as Decision Makers: Create opportunities for impacted youth to tell their stories, identify workable solutions, and develop advocacy and leadership skills. Fully integrate the Social Justice Youth Development Model into the processes used by CSYA to create change.
- Establish Collective Accountability: Lead the process of setting community-wide goals and tracking progress in an annual report to the community that includes current resources (program and fiscal map), progress toward benchmarks, indicators of education completion and housing stability, and recommendations for further action.
- Develop a Comprehensive Funding Strategy: Develop a cohesive plan that outlines funding priorities based on a fiscal map of current and potential resources committed to OY efforts from public and private, local and national funders. Establish relationships with potential funders and invite collaborative or targeted asks.
- Advocate for Policy Change: Identify public and education policies and procedures at local and state levels that inadvertently create barriers for disconnected youth. Mobilize young adults and the boarder community to advocate for changes, clarifications, or additions when needed.
- Professional Development: Train CSYA members’ staff on effective strategies for reconnecting young people to education, employment, housing, and other supports. Create opportunities for collaboration between organizations and identify potential partnerships that streamline or expand services.
- Expand community awareness of the issues and effective strategies impacting OY through media, speaking engagements, community conversations, and connections with other local, regional, and national initiatives.
- Create ongoing cross-agency work groups focused on improving the education, employment, housing, and health & wellness services and systems affecting OY. Membership on each work group include organizational decision-makers, frontline staff, and youth from “anchor” and related organizations.
- Promote best practice programs and services such as:
- Emergency shelters with support to transition to stable housing and employment;
- New pathways to education attainment for over age/under credit and other nontraditional learners;
- A transportation navigator system equipped to open access to multiple options;
- “No Wrong Door” network of services available at nontraditional times (nights, weekends);
- Training of adults to advocate for access to education;
- Career exploration and job coaching services;
- Opportunities to “learn and earn” concurrently;
- Additional supports for youth and young adults with special education needs, experiences with homelessness, or who have been involved in the child welfare system;
- Connection to trained adult volunteers serving as anchors in a web of support.
- Mental health supports, positive youth development, and trauma-informed care.