The U.S. Department of Labor (US DOL) strongly encourages states and local workforce development boards (WDBs) to establish Youth Committees to assist with planning, operational, and other issues related to the provision of youth services. Youth Committees can help local communities to identify gaps in services, coordinate youth policy, ensure quality services, leverage financial and programmatic resources and recommend eligible youth service providers.
You can find your local Youth Committee on CareerOneStop's "Youth Council Finder"
To support local boards with their transition to Youth Committees, the Division of Youth Services has hosted two webinars and created a guide designed to aid with transforming the potential of Youth Committees into measurable results:
- Guidebook Recipes for Success: A Youth Committee Guide under WIOA (2017) contains four sections which are designed to support youth committees planning and operations including staffing, resource allocation decision making, follow-up services, the performance system, and selecting service providers and is designed for community leaders, Local WDBs, Youth Committees, staff, and others charged with building comprehensive youth services at the local level.
- Webinar Coming Together at the Table-The Power of Youth Committees to Convene, Coordinate and Collectively (2017) provides information, resources, and examples of strategic use of state and local youth committees.
- Webinar Firing Up Youth Standing Committees (2015) inspires strategic planning and action in anticipation of the implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
