Community Solution for Opportunity Youth

Across the nation, individuals and community groups are working together to find new and effective solutions to local problems. Recognizing that the best ideas do not come from Washington but from communities, President Obama created the White House Council for Community Solutions in December 2010 by Executive Order toencourage the growth and maximize the impact of innovative community solutions and civic participation.The White House Council for Community Solutions (the Council) was charged with: identifying key attributes of successful community solutions; highlighting best practices, tools, and models of cross-sector collaboration and civic participation; and making recommendations on how to engage all stakeholders in community solutions that have a significant impact on solving our nation's most serious problems.Executive Order 13560 also directed this diverse group of leaders from various sectors to identify specific policy areas in which the federal government is investing significant resources that lend themselves to cross-sector collaboration.The Council, therefore, focused its attention on the broad question of what drives successful community solutions: those making greater than 10 percent progress on a metric. Next it focused on applying these findings to create substantial opportunity for disconnected youth. The Council chose this often overlooked population because of the untapped potential of these young people and the high cost to our nation. The 6.7 million disconnected youth cost our nation approximately $93 billion in direct and indirect social costs in 2011 alone, making this issue both compelling and urgent. While all youth have potential, connecting these youth to education or employment willchange the trajectory of their lives, as well as benefit their community and our nation as a whole.In its outreach and listening sessions, the Council discovered these young people have energy and aspirations and do not view themselves as disconnected. To the contrary, they are eager to participate in their communities, in fact,to own the development of their lives. They want to create a successful future but need the tools and opportunities to create that success. To acknowledge their untapped potential, the Council chose to refer to this population as opportunity youth.