Aspen Institute Opportunity Youth Forum

Opportunity Youth Forum

Since 2014, JobsFirstNYC has been a proud member of the Aspen Institute Opportunity Youth Forum. The Opportunity Youth Forum (OYF) is a network of over 40 local collaborations in urban, rural, and tribal communities across the United States that seeks to build and scale reconnection pathways that achieve better outcomes in education, employment, and overall well-being for young adults, 16-24 years of age, who are engaged in neither work nor education. To support a multi-pronged approach to decreasing the rates of young adults who are out of school and out of work, there are four OYF collaboratives in New York City.

The Opportunity Youth Forum has released a data report about the education and employment pathways for young adults across the United States. While the rate of young people who were out of school and out of work improved between 2017 and 2019, 2021 rates across all OYF communities had generally not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. Similarly, JobsFirstNYC’s recent data brief , released in 2023, found that rates of young adults who are out of school and out of work in New York City revealed a significant reversal of gains, mirroring the trends seen around the country.

Young adults who are out of school and out of work have historically been difficult to track and measure, as they are defined as a group that does not appear in either of two data sets—those in an educational program and those not working. With the Opportunity Youth Forum’s Common Measures, we can annually measure the overall rates of young adults who are out of school and out of work for unique geographic areas, as well as the rates of young adults participating in high school, postsecondary education, and the workforce. We continue to monitor these trends as we work together with stakeholders across the City of New York to build transformative solutions focused on identifying challenges, incubating solutions, and advancing what works to support young adults and their communities.

The Opportunity Youth Forum's Four Common Measures

Overall community disconnection rate

The rate of young people disconnected from work and school (i.e., opportunity youth).

High school disconnection rate

The rate of young people without a high school diploma/GED and not working who are disconnected from high school.

Postsecondary disconnection rate

The rate of young people with a high school diploma/GED but without a postsecondary credential, who are disconnected from postsecondary education and not working.

Workforce disconnection rate

The rate of young people with a postsecondary credential, but not enrolled in postsecondary, who are disconnected from the workforce.

Our OYF Partnerships

JobsFirstNYC convenes the four OYF partnerships that serve young adults in New York City: YES Bed Stuy, the Bronx Opportunity Network, Youth WINS, and the Transfer 2 Career Collaborative. These partnerships span across all five boroughs and serve hundreds of young adults every year in the neighborhoods that continue to be home to the highest share of the out-of-school, out-of-work population in New York City.