There are currently over five million opportunity youth, or young people between the ages of 16 and 24, who are neither enrolled in school nor employed in the United States. Without opportunities available to them, these young people are often stuck in a cycle of trauma-induced behaviors which can have far-reaching impacts on their lives and the communities in which they are a part. Opportunity youth are often disconnected from programs, networks, systems and services that can help them thrive, leaving a unique opportunity gap that libraries are particularly well-situated to fill. As community-based institutions that provide public space for teens to gather safely and productively, libraries can facilitate transformative, restorative and reformative programs that will allow opportunity youth to break these generational cycles.

Creating Youth Opportunities is a ULC program that directly supports the capacity of 11 participating libraries to serve a total of 222 communities and reach more than 411,000 opportunity youth. ULC supports and encourages these libraries to engage with youth in authentically-designed and localized programming, from the program design stage through execution. The libraries have and will continue to receive the training and support they need to develop thoughtful, co-designed program plans for implementation in their own communities. The following objectives guide this work:

• Support economic mobility and justice-impacted youth through library programs and provide them the resources, skills, and opportunities needed to improve their life circumstances.
• Create a national network and enhance library capacities where best practices, experiences, and strategies can be shared.
• Raise awareness and build partnerships by publishing blog posts, developing a white paper, hosting national webinars, and presenting at national conferences.

To date, ULC has supported the participating libraries through two phases:

• 2022-2023: Research and Program Planning
• 2024-2026: Local Program Implementation

Creating Youth Opportunities harnesses the unique potential of libraries to reach and impact the lives of opportunity youth. This supports the continued larger mission of public libraries to further their roles as institutions that are foundational to the health and progress of our communities.

Participating Libraries:

• Cedar Rapids Public Library
• Chicago Public Library
• Columbus Metropolitan Library
• DC Public Library
• Enoch Pratt Free Library
• Greensboro Public Library
• Memphis Public Libraries
• Oak Park Public Library
• Pioneer Library System
• Prince George's County Memorial Library
• Richmond Public Library (Va.)

Thank you to the Walmart Foundation Center for Racial Equity for their support: