In October 2000, Mr. Owen Lopez of the McCune Charitable Trust called a meeting of people interested in the field of youth development. The purpose of the meeting was to begin a discussion about opportunities to improve the development, organization, implementation, and funding of youth development activities in New Mexico.  From the outset, the group agreed that such an effort would have to include policy, advocacy, and leadership development as well as training, technical assistance, and dissemination of best practice models.

Over the past few years, the group expanded to include hundreds of interested parties representing individuals, agencies, and organizations in both the public and private sectors. The structure of the organization evolved to include three committees and two projects (each working on specific, yet interconnected, initiatives) a Steering Committee, and general Forum membership. Working committees respectively address training and technical assistance, policy and legislation, marketing and communication, and initial projects included the NM Out of School Time Network and the NM Youth Alliance.

To effectively move the work of the Forum, an Implementation Team was formed consisting of the Forum Manager, Project Coordinators, and Committee Chairs and Contractors. The Steering Committee meets monthly and the general Forum gatherings are held quarterly (with the final quarter meeting being the Youth in Community Summit). The Steering Committee coordinated the working committees, oversaw the budget, and made decisions regarding the agenda for Forum meetings.

An additional component of the Forum structure, the Regional Point Organizations were added in 2004. These organizations are key to connecting with regional concerns and resources as we forward the work of youth development in New Mexico.

Through its broad emphasis on positive youth development, the Forum serves as a state-level intermediary group providing a cohesive vision for the field of youth-serving organizations. In addition to being a consistent resource for meaningful networking, collaborations, updates on the latest developments, and general support of youth-serving organizations, the Forum is also connecting more frequently with youth themselves to build this private/public partnership.

The Forum is also working closely with the Children's Cabinet to move their agenda forward in a way that is based on connections to the field of youth development. Our overarching emphasis is on using our resources -- human, material, and monetary -- in efficient and effective ways in order to produce sustainable results that benefit our youth.