Strategies for Building Power and Youth Leadership (FCYO Origins Part 1)

On a snowy day in December 1997, over 75 grantmakers met to discuss the power and opportunities youth organizing affords both young people and our communities.More than 75 funders met at the Open Society Institute’s new headquarters in Manhattan for a day of discussion and networking with youth organizers. The goals were to introduce youth organizing to the foundation community and to broaden funders’ understanding of the powerful role youth organizing plays both in youth and community development. The briefing brought together a diverse cross-section of funders, including some that fund neither community organizing nor youth work of any kind. Youth organizers attending were a diverse group too, representing four organizations from across the country.What follows are highlights of the day’s conversation, the wisdom shared and the questions raised.