The YEF Institute's Youth Participation Advisors Network (YPAN) helps local elected officials and senior municipal staff promote youth engagement strategies and opportunities in their cities and nationally by sharing resources, research, tools and strategies, policies, and best practices.

Network with other city leaders around the country on topics that include:

• Engaging local young people through: 
  • Youth councils;
  • Youth summits;
  • Youth service;
  • Youth mapping of the city or neighborhood(s);
  • Organizing voter registration drives or youth political forums;
  • Appointing youth to serve on local commissions and committees; and
  • Service learning.
• Creating a long term city-schools youth plan, or youth master plan, to support young people.
• Learning how youth can partner with adults effectively.
• Recruiting and engaging diverse young people in city sponsored activities and programs.
• Improving the safety of youth in the city by offering positive activities.

Member Benefits

Currently, more than 600 local leaders from around the country are part of YPAN. When joining the network, YPAN members will:

• Have a forum of peers to discuss city strategies, resources, and promising practices in youth participation;
  
• Receive quarterly newsletters highlighting city examples of youth participation from around the country, as well as notices of cutting-edge youth development resources from NLC and other organizations; and
  
• Obtain opportunities to showcase their city's youth participation efforts through articles in NLC's Nation's Cities Weekly newspaper, periodic audioconferences, and sessions at national conferences.

Register Now

If you would like to participate in this network, please download the survey and fax or mail it back to us (use fax and mailing address on registration form) to help us understand your current and planned initiatives.  The survey will allow us to determine areas where we can provide assistance.

If you have questions, please call Tiffany Mitchell at 202-626-3014 or fellow@nlc.org.  Cities of all sizes may join this peer learning network. There is no cost to be a member of YPAN.

This network is part of a broader effort to engage municipal leaders in youth participation and civic engagement. YPAN is made possible by the generous support of the MetLife Foundation.