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03.24.2016

#YouthEngageNCMonthly DigestAlecia Page

Just a few weeks ago, many of you joined the Institute for EmergingIssues for our annual Emerging Issues Forum, FutureWork. Whilemore than 1,000 people attended, my attention fell on just over a dozenyoung citizens who volunteered to serve among our ForumAmbassadors as a part of our youth engagement work.

I had the pleasure of convening a small group discussion—somewhatof a rarity in an otherwise bustling, crowded meeting—after the Forumconcluded; these truly spectacular youth specialists sought to examinethe implications of FutureWork and technology-driven unemployment.The conversation was robust, and we created a series of priorities foryouth and youth specialists in North Carolina to address in the coming

Blog

Join our friend Aidil Ortiz Hill of YouthEmpowered Solutions (YES!) as sheexamines the value of positive youth

engagement and the youthempowerment model. Be sure to

comment to share your thoughts andany questions you might have, and

please reach out to us if you'reinterested in contributing to the blog!

ResearchLooking for data on how best to

engage youth in your community?Here’s what we’re reading this month.Share your favorite youth engagement

literature, and your pick could befeatured in the April newsletter!

A Short Introduction to Youth Engagement

Adam Fletcher, founder of The Freechild Project

Connecting Youth and BusinessOpportunity Nation

months:

1. Create new opportunities for young citizens to work inMakerspaces—areas designed to foster, nurture, and facilitatethe creation of new ideas or products.

2. Address increasing diversity in and out of the classroom byensuring that businesses and civic organizations that reach outto youth have adequate resources for working with youngcitizens who do not speak English as a native language.

3. Provide mentorship and advising opportunities to expose youthto careers and interests they may not otherwise encounter.

In the coming months, IEI will cross the state to visit North Carolina’sprosperity zones. In each region, we will be intentionally engaging withour young citizens, ensuring they have access to the knowledgenecessary to prepare them for the future of work.

But we can’t do it alone. We need our partners and friends to join us insharing information with our next generations of workers, letting themknow about disparities in their region and trends in their fields ofinterest.

If you or your organization lacks experience working with youngeraudiences, we’ve got you covered. In fact, our friend Aidil Ortiz-Hill,from Youth Empowered Solutions (YES!), shared some impactfuladvice for effective outreach on our Civic Engagement Blog. Be sure tocheck it out if you’re feeling inspired to reach out to youth in yourcommunity.

As the dust settles following the FutureWork Forum, one thing isabundantly clear to me: While we face many challenges, we also havesome truly extraordinary opportunities before us. The path we choosetoday will determine the vitality of North Carolina tomorrow. I hope youwill join us as we seek to move North Carolina forward.

Community Solutions for

Opportunity YouthThe White House Council for

Community Solutions

OpportunitiesEvery month, we’ll highlight greatopportunities for youth to engage

across North Carolina. Let us know ifyou have an opportunity you’d like us

to share!

Summer Learning (grades 6-12)

Habitat for Humanity (grades 9+)

Find Your Own! (all ages)

SpotlightWe’ve had the pleasure of partneringwith some great organizations in our

initial youth engagement work. Reachout to us, and we’ll feature yourorganization in our next issue!

EdNC

JUNTOS

Public School Forum of North Carolina

Alecia PageEmerging Issues FellowInstitute for Emerging Issuesalpage@ncsu.edu

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Institute for Emerging IssuesNC State UniversityCampus Box 7406Raleigh, NC 27695-7406Visit us at emergingissues.org