Youth Work 2.0:
Expanding Career Pathways for the Youth Development Sector
Helping young people thrive is one of our most important commitments as adults, and youth workers live and breathe this task every day. This work directly impacts the 20.4 million youth enrolled in after-school and summer programs. Based on this number, it’s estimated that there are at least 2 million professionals working in youth development programs nationwide (not including formal and informal child care staff, teachers, sports coaches, and others who also support young people in a variety of settings).
Despite the importance of this work, staffing vacancies and turnover in these programs have become commonplace, a trend exacerbated by multiple challenges that emerged in recent years. Expanding upon decades of research and practice, Youth Work 2.0: Expanding Career Pathways for the Youth Development Sector offers three strategies for career development for youth workers and tools that can guide a more equitable approach to workforce development. We provide examples from our partners to demonstrate the benefits of investing in youth workers. Finally, we’ve included a curated list of new resources on this topic. We invite you to borrow and use what is helpful for your work as you join us in building stronger youth work career pathways. Published March 1, 2024 |