One new opportunity offering youth the chance to grow and learn is Youth Forward MKE’s Autonomous Youth Council. Born out of the third Design Your Future proposal, which focuses on authentic and engaged youth leadership, the council aims to recruit, train and place young people on local decision-making bodies.

Youth Forward MKE, together with the BLEST Hub at Marquette University, has developed a youth leadership directory to highlight the incredible opportunities happening in Milwaukee, throughout the state of Wisconsin and across the nation.

One way to ensure your organization is effectively incorporating youth voice is through the Youth Adult Equity Ladder Assessment. This tool, piloted last year and re-released in an improved format this winter – measures how well organizations are interacting with and empowering young people.

Through the lens of data, we’re shining a light on how our systems are failing youth – and the incredible opportunity we have to change things.

On Saturday, March 9, Youth Forward MKE is officially kicking off its new Create Space series. This brand-new set of events aims to provide experiential opportunities for young people in Milwaukee.

On Friday, December 1, Youth Forward MKE held its first ever Winter Jam. The event, hosted at Nō Studios, offered an opportunity for local youth to connect with each other, learn about Youth Forward MKE and the Autonomous Youth Council, and celebrate the holiday season.

On September 28 from 5:30-6:45 p.m., Youth Forward MKE and its youth ambassadors will be holding an online listening session via Zoom to help shape the Autonomous Youth Council and inform our future advocacy efforts.

On Friday, May 12, three Youth Forward MKE Ambassadors presented at the 2023 Forum National Conference in Detroit alongside speaker David Emmanuelle Castillo of Equitable Systems Consultants.

On April 3, ECE educators, families and advocates gathered around Pete’s Fruit Market in Milwaukee to mark the start of Week of the Young Child. Youth Forward MKE Ambassadors were on-hand to help with the festivities, specifically by collecting trash along the parade route.

The final update during the March 22 meeting involved the ongoing implementation of the Design Your Future proposals. The third and final proposal centers on creating an Autonomous Youth Council, with the goal of training students in culturally relevant education practices and community organizing, and providing pathways into education and policy advocacy.

Youth Forward MKE is continuing to develop and refine its Youth Adult Equity Assessment. The tool, which helps organizations determine where they land on the Youth Adult Equity Ladder, was piloted this winter, with 13 organizations taking part.

Milwaukee Succeeds and Youth Forward MKE are embarking on a new report to explore what success means for our students and how we can measure it accordingly. The State of High School Success will provide youth-informed data on how Milwaukee stacks up. It will also serve as a tool to teach the community how they can advocate for change.

Amaya Bauldwin, a Youth Forward MKE ambassador since 2022, recently received the Black Excellence Award’s Louvenia Johnson Scholarship. Amaya is one of 12 recipients of the scholarship, which is awarded to gifted, talented, and service-minded African American high school seniors going to college or trade schools.

Youth Forward MKE is committed to utilizing data to drive our efforts forward, including through our continuing Success Stories, upcoming State of High School Success report and brand new Youth-Adult Equity Assessment Tool.

Milwaukee’s 16 Community Schools not only provide a variety of opportunities and resources, but they also ensure students have a seat at the table and ownership over their own education.

The final Youth Forward MKE meeting of the year concluded with a hopeful look forward into 2023.

“We started Youth Justice Milwaukee to say we have to do better,” said Sharlen Moore. “We have to advocate for young people, especially those that are most vulnerable, and just do better in our youth justice system.”

During their final meeting of the year, Youth Forward MKE highlighted two local organizations who are currently demonstrating what it looks like to authentically partner with youth: Youth Justice Milwaukee and the United Way Community Schools Partnership.

Two young leaders joined the September 28 Coalition meeting to represent MENTOR Greater Milwaukee. Over the summer, they worked to build relationships and advocate for mentoring, in addition to planning the inaugural Youth Voice Summit.

Naturally, the September 28 Coalition meeting ended with a question: How can we be more intentional in lifting up and utilizing youth voice and leadership?