New Mexico Youth... Expect the Best!

The New Mexico Forum for Youth in Community (the Forum) functions as a statewide network intermediary that is both a catalyst and support to the positive youth development movement. In fulfilling this role, the Forum engages three strategic intentions:

• Being the catalyst for a paradigm shift in the youth development field from a deficit to an assets framework.

• Facilitating the building of a broad community of stakeholders who are guided by positive youth development principles working toward a common set of positive youth outcomes.

• Supporting the positive youth development community of stakeholders by providing tools, training and technical assistance to get from paradigm shift to sustained quality practice.

By convening and connecting a broad group of stakeholders through partnership, the Forum is working to achieve a transformative change in youth development. Our Theory of Transformative Change (ToTC), which speaks to systemic changes happening simultaneously within and across different systems, has helped define the areas in which we work. We accomplish our work in the following ways, we:

• engage youth across all settings in communities;

• provide youth practitioner training and field building;

• offer program and organizational development around assets and quality best practices;

• work within public/private partnerships and with other funders to make resources available for assets-oriented positive youth development work;

• inform and mobilize around policy to support the field.

All of the activities that help accomplish what we do – action research, advocacy, assessment, facilitation, convening, connecting, capacity building, mobilizing and network building- are all ways in which the Forum seeks to be a support to the positive youth development movement and the stakeholders who are a part of it.

Positive Youth Development occurs from intentional processes that promote positive outcomes for children, youth and communities by providing access to opportunities, relationships and the supports necessary to fully participate.