Happening Now at NYEC!
National Youth Employment Coalition's Youth Champion Communities (YCC) is a national initiative designed to help communities of all sizes assess and substantially improve their capacities to engage and prepare young people for economic mobility and success. YCC brings together mayors, employers, educators, workforce leaders, community-based organizations, and young people to align efforts and strengthen pathways to economic mobility.
The National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC) invites workforce practitioners, community leaders, organizational partners, and young people to join us in Washington, D.C. for the 2026 D.C. Summit — formerly known as Youth Days in Washington, D.C.
Attendees are trained and equipped to meet with Congressional offices, share their stories, and call for federal investments and policy reforms that directly benefit opportunity youth across the country.
- Speak directly with Members of Congress and their staff on behalf of opportunity youth in your community
- Receive expert training in policy — no prior experience required
- Connect with a national network of practitioners, young people, and organizations united by a shared mission
- Take home an action plan toolkit you can use year-round, not just during the summit
- Amplify your program's impact by linking what you do every day to the policies that fund it
- Young people: share your story where it matters most — directly with the people who make decisions about your future
The D.C. Summit is built for everyone who believes young people deserve a seat at the table — and a voice in the policies that shape their futures.
In 2025, 130 attendees from 27 states visited 83 Congressional offices — and that was just the beginning. The 2026 D.C. Summit aims to go further.
Learn about NYEC's 4 pillars
What's new from NYEC
The Intersections between Youth Experiencing Homelessness, Youth Supports and Employment
This literature review highlights the need for ongoing support services alongside
employment and training programs.
Apprenticeship Building America - Start a Cohort Today!
NYEC and FHI 360 are pleased to share the Empowering Futures: A Mental Health Pre-Apprenticeship Program for Young People curriculum and supplementary resources to support the entry of young people into careers in the mental health field. These materials are provided for free to youth-facing organizations to establish and grow their own pre-apprenticeship program. The 40-hour curriculum is designed to be implemented with youth, ages 16-24, to enhance their knowledge of youth-serving mental health work and put them on a pathway to employability through apprenticeship.
Along with their partners, NIWL developed a Youth Development Practitioner (YDP) Pre-apprenticeship curriculum. This curriculum is now available to organizations to implement with groups of young people, including summer camps, schools and colleges, after school and outside of school programs, and more.
or email mo.burke@nyec.org to set up a 1:1 meeting!
NYEC Releases First of Its Kind Mental Health Report
A nationwide survey revealed the readiness of youth programs across the United States to respond to the youth mental health pandemic; the processes and systems providers have in place to fight the crisis; and what supports they need to combat this ongoing, life-threatening challenge.
Youth Justice and Employment Community of Practice
Exploring Best Practices in the Field serves as an expansion of the NYEC literature review and includes additional findings from focus groups comprised of employers, providers, youth and young adults in New Orleans and Los Angeles.
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Hear from our members!
"Being a member of NYEC has been the greatest professional development of my career. In addition to supporting the great work that NYEC does on behalf of young people and our programs, being a member has given me a network of incredibly passionate people doing amazing work in communities across the country."
- Glenn Eagleson, former board member and board chair, 20+ year NYEC member