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
~900 organizations are engaged via OYF’s 40+ local partnerships across the United States →
Young adults aged 16-24 reside in OYF communities
3 million are unsupported by misaligned education and workforce systems
900,000 are completely disconnected from both education and work
Estimated in Economic Costs per 900,000 disconnected young people
$440 million saved in 2024 alone, in economic savings & benefits due to reconnection efforts by OYF partners
OYF communities are on track to reduce youth disconnection by 50% by 2033
Opportunity Youth Forum
Areas of Work
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 Initiatives
Featured Content
Connect Locally
Scaling Youth Outcomes Cohort (SYOC)
The Scaling Youth Outcomes Cohort (SYOC), an initiative within the OYF that provides targeted funding and support to collaboratives and 10 direct service partners in Boston, Houston, Denver, and Los Angeles to promote rapid growth in prevention or intervention services for opportunity youth.
Building Ecosystems for Youth Opportunities (BEYO)
The Building Ecosystems for Youth Opportunity (BEYO) initiative, launched in partnership with Jobs for the Future (JFF), set out to support eight innovative OYF collaboratives across the country in scaling evidence-based, high-quality pathways to postsecondary completion and careers for opportunity youth.
Youth-Led Change
Engaging opportunity youth as experts and partners at every step has been a core principle of ours since the launch of our. We believe that young people have the right to represent their own interests, identify their challenges, and design their own solutions.
Inclusive Economies
Economic mobility and financial inclusivity is about more than employment and livelihoods. It requires ensuring that all young people have access to opportunities to thrive, belong, and succeed in ways meaningful to them.
Taking Young Workers Seriously: Building Good Jobs from the Start
The Open Pathways Project 2025 Washington State Convening Report
2025 TELB Cohort Stories
Gathering in Montgomery | Spring’26
View Event
Partner Insights Show Way to Scale Youth Outcomes
Understanding Reach and Impact
Homegrown Prosperity –
Open Pathways Project WA State Convening
Thought-Leadership I Youth Opportunity I Systems-Change I
Stay connected with the latest insights, announcements, and resources, including new publications, events, community stories, podcasts, and tools designed to advance opportunity and systems change for young people and communities across the nation.