Thriving Leaders. Thriving Organizations. Thriving Youth.

In service of our mission to connect, strengthen, and amply the leaders of youth serving organizations so that Black, Indigenous, and Youth of Color thrive, we support the youth development field through the following.  

Advocacy & Field-building: We inform and catalyze our members to take action on policy issues that impact youth serving non-profits and the young people they serve. Most of our efforts focus on increasing funding at the regional and state levels for youth serving organizations, including smaller, and communities of color-led organizations. 

Partnerships & Collaboration: We create networks between organizations and across sectors to improve partnerships and foster more seamless and supportive experiences for young people. This includes offering training and tools to better partner and coordinate services.  

Leadership & Organizational Development: We connect current and future leaders of our member organizations to build a community of leaders who feel supported, seen, and inspired.  Hosting affinity groups and communities of practice on issues including school-community partnerships, social emotional learning, and racial equity provides opportunities to connect our members with similar interests so they can learn from one another. 

Strategic Plan

In 2020, YDEKC completed a strategic plan resulting in the following core strategies to refine and shape our focus for the next several years.  

  • Advocating for durable, equitable, and sustainable funding for the youth development sector. 
  • Building trust and collaboration between organizations and across sectors. 
  • Supporting social and emotional well-being for adults and the young people they serve. 
  • Being led by our members, and supporting them to be led by the people they serve. 

For more information on our goals, strategies, and objectives, see an introduction to our 2020-2023 Strategic Plan. Or, watch a video introduction here:

For information on our past work, our 2017-2019 Strategic Plan is available, and we share more about our history on our 10 Years of Impact page.