10+ years of Community-Driven Impact
10+ Years of Youth Leadership
10+ Years of Systems Change
10+ Years of Youth Voice
10+ Years of the
Forum for Community Solutions
10+ years of Community-Driven Impact
10+ Years of Youth Leadership
10+ Years of Systems Change
10+ Years of Youth Voice
10+ Years of the
Forum for Community Solutions
Learn More About Our Decade of Impact
Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions
Founded in 2012, the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions emerged from the work of the White House Council on Community Solutions, a cross-sector effort that recognized the power of communities to self-determine vibrant and sustainable solutions to the social and economic challenges, they face.
For over a decade Forum has been a beacon of hope and change – by partnering with communities, young people, practitioners, policymakers, and philanthropic leaders, we advance collaborative community-based efforts that expand mobility, eliminate systemic barriers, and create pathways to opportunities for all young people to thrive.


Grounded in the belief that those closest to challenges are closest to the solutions — our work focuses on several interconnected programs, initiatives, and partnerships, that expand opportunity and local community-led change through place-based partnerships, statewide & national networks, thought-leadership, and organizing.

Opportunity Youth Forum
The Opportunity Youth Forum (OYF), our flagship initiative, connects over 40 local collaboratives dedicated to the success of young adults aged 16-24 who are not engaged in work or education. Our decade-long journey has been marked by partnerships with urban, rural, and tribal communities, all with the common goal of expanding pathways to youth reconnection, and transforming systems to enhance educational and employment outcomes for all young people to thrive.

COMPRISE OYF’S NATIONAL NETWORK
are engaged via OYF’s 40+ local collaboratives across the U.S.
Young adults aged 16-24 in OYF communities are poorly supported by misaligned education and workforce systems
is the annual economic cost of 900,000 disconnected young people
of these young adults are completely disconnected from both education and work
in economic benefits was saved in 2024 alone, due to reconnection efforts by OYF partners
Featured Opportunity Youth Forum Initiatives

Thought-Leadership I Youth Opportunity I Systems-Change I
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