Connections and Communities: Reframing How We Talk About Opportunity Youth

Instead of focusing on the availability of opportunities, this narrative widens the lens to explain the role communities, relationships, and access to supportive programs, policies, and systems play in fostering the wellbeing of Opportunity Youth. [...] The Plugged In metaphor helps communicators explain why young people included under the umbrella term Opportunity Youth need access to resources, networks, and opportunities to support their wellbeing and success, and how that access happens. [...] Recommendation #4: Use the Steep Climb metaphor to talk about the challenges Opportunity Youth face and the additional resources and supports they need to thrive. [...] The metaphor also increases a sense of efficacy and hopeful expectations for Opportunity Youth by inviting people to think about the different kinds of supports Opportunity Youth need on their journey, and what types of programs and policies can ensure they receive them. [...] It prompts people to consider what can happen when Opportunity Youth have stronger ties to the people around them and the places they live, and helps people see that these relationships are not just important, but also realistic and feasible.