Field Building

The Clare Rose Center for CYD envisions a strong, well-resourced, and connected Creative Youth Development field that is accessible to and meets the needs of all young people. To achieve this vision, we work with key partners on activities and initiatives in Research & Documentation, Narrative Change & Storytelling, Advocacy & Policy, and Philanthropic Innovation. We also create and curate Tools & Resources for the field and host Convenings to bring together CYD leaders and practitioners, funders, community partners, policy makers, and other key stakeholders to collaborate on solutions to the challenges of CYD work.

Pooled Funds &
Philanthropic Collaborations

The Center forms strategic partnerships with like-minded funders to co-design funding and programming partnerships to support collective action and field-building activities that disrupt systemic inequities facing the field. We also work with peers in the funding community to grow the overall funding available for CYD organizations by calling more funders into the work of supporting this field.

Research & Documentation

Everything we do at The Center is documented and shared with the field to promote ongoing learning and development of best practices. The Center funds and drives research projects to collect data that is key in advocacy for policy and systems change.

Narrative Change & Storytelling

The Center works with diverse partners to create and curate content to tell unique stories from the CYD field and amplify its impact. We hire young people to create content, and work in close partnership with them to collect and share data and stories from our grantees and partners with broad audiences. Our work in Narrative Change & Storytelling plays a key role influencing both policy change and public attitudes and CYD Youth Development and growing the sources of support for the field.

Education, Advocacy &
Policy Change

The Center engages in strategic spaces and forms trusting relationships with community members, fellow funders, advocates and activists, policy makers, and government officials to share the impacts of CYD and influence change in existing power structures to create more accessible and inclusive systems of support for CYD.

Tools & Resources

The Center continually identifies and curates shared learning opportunities, open source templates and tools, and accessible resources and platforms that CYD organizations, practitioners, young people, and allies can use to build their capacities and strengthen their work. We also know that access to people - coaches, thought partners, subject matter experts, and mentors - is key to turning learnings into actions, and work to connect our partners with the support systems they need.

Convenings

Bringing people together is at the heart of all of The Center’s work. When we connect people, resources, ideas, and opportunities, possibility flourishes. Strong networks of CYD stakeholders are key to long-term strength and sustainability in the field of CYD, and The Center is a hub for collaboration and collective action.

For more information about our Field Building initiatives, please email Katie Lorge.