CLASP's youth policy work aims to advance policy and practice that will dramatically improve the education, employment, and life outcomes for youth in communities of high youth distress. Learn more>>
Pathways to Reconnection for Disconnected Youth
We advocate for federal policies that meet the education and training needs of the millions of young people ages 16 to 24 who are disconnected from school and employment. Read more>>
Building the Capacity of Communities
We work with communities to identify and highlight effective cross-system approaches that can provide opportunities for youth to complete their education, enter the labor market and improve their life outcomes. Read more>>
Supports and Strategies for Youth of Color
We highlight the depth of the disadvantaged and disconnected youth problem for young people of color in some of the nation's most challenged communities and propose strategic solutions. Read more>>
Investing in Boys and Young Men of Color: The Promise and Opportunity
The path to adulthood can be especially difficult for many middle- and high-school-aged young men of color. They are more likely to grow up in poverty, live in unsafe neighborhoods, and go to under-resourced schools—all of which affect their lifelong health and well-being. What is at stake for America is the possibility of losing an entire generation of productive men who will fall short of their potential, live less healthy lives, and fail to build and strengthen their communities.
In 2011, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) created the Forward Promise initiative within its Vulnerable Populations Portfolio to place a strategic emphasis on the needs of middle school- and high school-aged young men of color. RWJF’s goal is to strengthen educational opportunities, pathways to employment, and health outcomes for these young men.
CLASP worked with RWJF to conduct a scan of issues facing boys and young men of color in the areas of education, health, and pathways to employment. The goal of the scan was to understand both the barriers and opportunities in this work in order to make an informed decision about where to place resources to best influence outcomes for boys and young men of color. The results of the scan are available in our brief, “Investing in Boys and Young Men of Color: The Promise and Opportunity.”
From the scan came eight key ideas for investing in boys and young men of color:
Recommendation #1: Promote school discipline approaches that address behavioral problems without pushing students out of school
Recommendation #2: Increase the use of data to target interventions to boys of color at risk for dropping out of school
Recommendation #3: Expand opportunities for young men of color to work, learn, and develop career-enhancing skills
Recommendation #4: Elevate the importance of a “caring adult” in policy and programmatic efforts to re-engage out-of-school males
Recommendation #5: Provide options for out-of-school males to attain a secondary credential with pathways to postsecondary education
Recommendation #6: Increase the cultural competency of health professionals and educators who work with boys and young men of color
Recommendation #7: Change the philosophy and culture of how youth systems provide services to youth experiencing violence and trauma
Recommendation #8: Increase access to health care services for boys and young men of color
Data Resources for Communities!
To promote greater understanding of the scope of the disconnected youth problem in high poverty, urban areas, we created the "Keeping Youth Connected" Data Profile Project. Local data on indicators related to education, crime and victimization, employment, and family stability is available in a PDF data profile or downloadable in Excel. Currently 20 communities are available. READ MORE »- Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt Bryant | Apr 03, 2013 Taking Aim at Gun Violence: Rebuilding Community Education and Employment Pathways
- CLASP Youth Policy Team | Feb 22, 2013 New "Keeping Connected" Update
- Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt Bryant, Linda Harris, Kisha Bird | Feb 19, 2013 Investing in Boys and Young Men of Color: The Promise and Opportunity
- Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt Bryant | Oct 16, 2012 Commentary on Children, Families and Poverty: Definitions, Trends, Emerging Science and Implications for Policy
- Linda Harris and Kisha Bird | Jul 31, 2012 Comments to U.S. Department of Education Request for Information on Strategies for Improving Outcomes for Disconnected Youth
- Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt Bryant | Apr 03, 2013 Taking Aim at Gun Violence: Rebuilding Community Education and Employment Pathways
- CLASP's Youth Policy Team | Feb 22, 2013 "Keeping Connected" eUpdate
- Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt Bryant, Linda Harris, Kisha Bird | Feb 19, 2013 Investing in Boys and Young Men of Color: The Promise and Opportunity
- Dec 21, 2012 Keeping Connected Youth Newsletter - December 2012
- Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt Bryant | Oct 16, 2012 Commentary on Children, Families and Poverty: Definitions, Trends, Emerging Science and Implications for Policy









