Improving Outcomes for Opportunity Youth
Transforming systems, policies, investments, and narratives to ensure all OY in California have the opportunity to thrive.
Who are Opportunity Youth (OY)?
Opportunity Youth (OY) are individuals, ages 16 to 24, who are disconnected from school or working, including system-involved youth (foster youth, unhoused youth, and justice-impacted youth).
OY encounter systemic barriers challenging their pursuit of education and meaningful employment, which under resourced education, workforce development, and other public sector agencies often do not have the tools to solve. However, with the right resources and opportunities, Opportunity Youth can thrive in our communities, bringing valuable talent and expertise.
COYN State Legislative Agenda
COYN’s state legislative work focuses on advancing policies that improve outcomes for Opportunity Youth by strengthening the availability of and access to academic and career pathways in California.
Below is a list of relevant bills that COYN is supporting, sponsoring, and/or tracking in the 2026 state legislative session.
OYF Common Measures
The LAOYC originated in 2013 through the Aspen Institute’s Forum for Community Solutions—Opportunity Youth Forum (OYF), a national network of urban, rural, and tribal communities seeking to improve education and employment pathways for opportunity youth. Opportunity youth are individuals aged 16-24 who are or have previously been disconnected from school and work or have connections to the child welfare, justice, and/or homeless systems.
Opportunity youth have historically been difficult to count, as they are defined as a group which does not appear in either of two data sets – those in an educational program and those not working. With the OYF Common Measures, however, we can calculate—for each unique geographic area of an OYF collaborative—the overall opportunity youth disconnection rate, and the disconnection rates for high school, post-secondary and workforce annually for the entire community.
This two-page infographic describes the state of the Opportunity Youth Forum Common Measures for 2021 in summary, across the entire Aspen network.
