The Aspen Forum for Community Solutions (AFCS) has been a beacon of hope and a leader in the effort to end youth disconnection for over a decade. We have journeyed alongside our partners from urban, rural, and tribal communities to expand pathways to reconnect young people to employment and education opportunities through systems transformation strategies. Our particular focus has always been on youth and young adults of color. And our impact is undeniable, as our efforts contributed to a nearly 25% reduction in the number of Opportunity Youth across the country.
Our next decade of work continues to focus on ending youth disconnection. But our vision going forth is much larger. We endeavor to transform systems and communities in ways that ensure that ALL youth can thrive. Belonging, Meaning, Wellbeing and Purpose (BMWP) is the emerging framework that is helping us to get there.
What is BMWP?
BMWP is an emergent framework put forth by AFCS that stands for “Belonging, Meaning, Wellbeing, and Purpose.” We believe that a community and society in which belonging, meaning, wellbeing and purpose are prioritized, is a community and society in which youth, young adults and families can thrive. Each of the four constructs that make up BMWP (and their respective practices) are associated with a variety of positive outcomes including social inclusion, greater life satisfaction, increased high school graduation rates, college enrollment and persistence, civic engagement, greater health and happiness (and many more benefits). And so, this framework and its related strategies and approaches provide us a path forward to achieving our vision of a just and equitable society.
To learn more about BMWP, click here to review our BMWP Primer.
Our Strategy
AFCS holds the vision that all youth, especially youth and young adults of color, engage with BMWP strategies that improve pathways, structures, systems and narratives in our communities and our country, leading to improved youth outcomes (i.e., thriving youth). To achieve this ambitious vision, AFCS has embarked on a series of initiatives that foster shared learning among community practitioners, young leaders, systems leaders, funders, and research experts, launching with a three-year learning phase. Among these initiatives are the following:
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Belonging, Meaning, Wellbeing and Purpose Learning Grants: AFCS has awarded grants to a select group of Opportunity Youth community collaboratives and postsecondary partners to practice, document and codify learnings about BMWP and its impact on positive youth outcomes.
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Funder Community of Practice: AFCS is collaborating with six aligned Philanthropic Support Organizations to convene nearly one hundred national, regional, corporate and family foundation partners. The BMWP Funder CoP space fosters learning, knowledge sharing, and relationship building, all while embodying the principles of BMWP. Our goal is to unpack concepts of BMWP, learn from our BMWP partners on the ground and translate these learnings for collaborative action and impact by identifying significant investment opportunities and leveraging existing investments in the field. Based on the large body of BMWP evidence and research, we hold a shared intention that our collective efforts to integrate BMWP into systems, narratives, and pathways will improve young people’s sense of agency to make change, feelings of connectedness to a larger collective, which will accelerate racial equity and strengthen our democracy.
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BMWP Research Advisory Group: AFCS has assembled an advisory group composed of experts, leading scholars, youth researchers and other BMWP experts that has been convened to craft our learning agenda, leverage the existing evidence base on core BMWP constructs and related research, and identify research gaps and opportunities to help grow the evidence base for our work.
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Disseminating Research and Practice Findings: Key research and practice findings related to the impact of BMWP will be disseminated widely that not only highlight the positive outcomes of this work, but also help identify areas requiring further research.
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Narrative Shift: AFCS also endeavors to shift narratives about the needs of young people and the promise of the Belonging, Meaning, Wellbeing, and Purpose principles to ultimately foster a more inclusive and supportive environment for youth and young adults to thrive.
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Policy and Funding Opportunities: AFCS is actively identifying policy and funding opportunities that can promote the utilization of BMWP, ensuring that these principles are embedded in the broader landscape of support for Opportunity Youth.
“Belonging, meaning, wellbeing, and purpose builds on a decade of insights from our partners, youth, funders, national organizations, and thought leaders. This is how we put racial equity into action. I believe we can transform our systems so every young person can thrive, because the health and wellbeing of our communities depend on it. And together we know—we have the power to make that transformation a reality.” – Geneva Wiki, Director of Belonging, Meaning, Wellbeing and Purpose
