“Youth know the barriers we face every day, and we also know the solutions. The more we are trusted as decision-makers, the stronger our communities will be.” —Aponi Boyer, 2025 Youth Policy Summit
Hope is a discipline. Lessons from the 2025 Youth Policy Summit:
This past June, we co-hosted the third annual Youth Policy Summit in partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Utah. We brought together more than 50 youth leaders, policymakers, advocates, and community partners from across the country for two days of action and insight.
From mental health access and foster youth permanency to pathways to higher education and dignity in carceral settings, participants dug into some of the most urgent challenges facing young people today. Across keynote conversations and youth-led presentations featuring legislative wins in Utah, Pennsylvania, Georgia, California, and Kansas, the summit highlighted a central truth: Young people aren’t just affected by policy, they are taking charge to shape it.
Mental healthcare apprenticeships are essential. Three goals for youth workforce development organizations:
As we’ve expressed throughout the year, young people know what they need to thrive at work and in life. Crucially, they understand that being part of a healthy and skilled workforce requires adequate mental health support that’s community-focused, not clinical. In a new brief, TYP Collaborative policy strategist Noel Tieszen calls on youth workforce development organizations to prioritize shared-experience mental healthcare occupations and carefully design Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) in collaboration with mission-aligned partners. The brief outlines three essential challenges these groups must meet before launching apprenticeships that truly serve young people and their communities.
As we look ahead to next year and beyond, our farsighted vision for the future remains clear: a world built by the policies, systems, and institutions that treat young people as the leaders and problem-solvers we all need. We won’t stop following their lead to expand what’s possible for youth and remove any barriers that stand in their way.
Thank you for your support as we keep pushing from possibility to power.
With gratitude,
The Team at TYP Collaborative
Donate Today to Support Youth-Powered Policy
Join us in shaping the policies and systems we deserve! 100% of your donation will support youth-driven change, helping to fund youth leadership and advocacy efforts with fair compensation, provide emergency assistance with the launch of our collective care fund, and center joy and community through celebrations and incentives.
