National Youth Association Theory of Change

Claim Your Future

What We BelieveWe believe that youth have a right to claim their own futures.

We believe that youth deserve to be involved when politicians, communities, and corporations try to write their futures.

We believe that involving youth is the only way to address issues like college affordability, unemployment, and the environment.

Our Story

The National Youth Association was founded in 2010 after youth found that their voices were not being heard in the political process. On TV, Radio, Meeting Rooms, and the Hallways of Congress people were talking about the “future” and the “youth” and yet not a single youth voice was present. That November, just two years after some of the historically highest numbers of youth involvement, youth involvement dropped to abysmally low numbers. There needed to be a “special interest group” for young people in Washington and a group of the top youth leaders came together to make an organization that would do just that.

Our goal is to be that voice to secure a high quality of life for youth. The National Youth Association works to advance the youth agenda in American society and helps youth realize their true potential. We give everyday youth the opportunity to make a tremendous difference in public policy and beyond.

Our theory of change involves securing a permanent seat at the political process through the electoral process, bringing communities together to talk about youth issues, and providing services and information to youth.

Core Values

Youth are powerful. Youth are agents of social change. A generation can be empowered to have the potential to become active players in the society around them.

Always be thankful. The mission of the National Youth Association is accomplished only through the generosity of others and partnerships with other groups and communities. An efficient organization is transparent and responsive to the public by way of efficient, cost-effective, and compassionate stewardship of resources.

Break norms, not laws. The National Youth Association respects relationships with federal, state, and local governmental regulations. An ethical organization acts with integrity, openness, and honesty and encourages respectful and fair treatment in all relationships, dealings, and transactions. However, this does not prevent an organization from taking risks and being bold.

Tear down boundaries. The National Youth Association recognizes the importance of strengthening communities and organizations through collaboration, common ground, and the celebration of diversity.

Act Quickly and boldly. The National Youth Association recognizes that opportunities do not always have an unlimited amount of time on them and that to maximize impact we must act quickly and boldly.

Focus on impact. The National Youth Association is committed to continuous improvement through measurable data-points and performance targets.

Expect excellence and continuous improvement. The National Youth Association is committed to a culture of excellence, innovation, rigorous and focused planning, and efficient use of technology.

Our Team: The Many Faces of NYA80,000 Members Around the Nation 750,000 Youth Participating100 Student governments and youth organizations represented in our organization

National Board and Staff:

Our Impact

• All 535 Members of Congress Rated and Graded on Various Pieces of Youth Legislation • 2,500 volunteers mobilized• 162 Leadership Positions at the National and State Levels• Working with the Department of Education on student bill of rights• Conducted national campaigns on Youth Voting Rights, Union Voting Power in Wisconsin, DREAM Act, Student Loan Reform, Occupy Wall Street, college tuition increases, and Brutality against students in the UC System•Established key partnerships with organizations such as National Education Association, Rock the Vote, StudentsFirst, Khan Academy, etc. to advance student agenda• Successfully defended a university student from illegal incarceration• United thousands of youth against Bank of America’s monthly fees• Rallied behind the efforts to pass the DREAM Act at the federal and local levels of government

Long-Term Goal

Outcomes

Assumptions A. High quality includes educational opportunities, employment, and environmental sustainability B. High quality requires the removal of barriers such as lack of services and access to information C. The political process can create policies that support a high quality of life D. Elections are opportunities for youth to solidify permanent seats in the decision making processE. Change can come a unification of the community

Theory of Change

Theory of Change

Long-Term Goal

Outcomes

Needs

Programs

Theory of Change

Theory of Change

Claim Your Future

WHAT WE WANTMAKE COLLEGE AFFORDABLE

Loan forgiveness, caps on student loan interest rates, refinancing opportunities, lowering

tuition, increasing grants, fixing K-12 to prepare all for college

ADDRESS YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENTInvest in job creation and

support startups, pledge to hire young, help youth buying homes and saving for retirement, raising the minimum wage

INVEST IN THE ENVIRONMENTInvest in new technologies,

reduce dependence on foreign oil, support renewable energy

WHAT WE’RE DOING2012 Elections/Youth Super PAC

We will make endorsements for youth-friendly candidates and try to win 20 congressional seats. We will hold all of them accountable to get “What We Want” next year.Roundtables

We bring together youth leaders, politicians, and businesses together at the local level to get “What We Want”. Clinics/Youth Credit Union

We will try to help get “What We Want” directly through free college and job assistance clinics and a credit union that offers low interest student and business loans.

Claim Your Future Marketing

“People” Asks: Pledge to Vote, Volunteer, Chapter!

“Money” : Unions, Corporations, Individuals

“Other”: Celebrities, Youth Leaders, Organizations, Politicians

Ideas: Tumblr with pictures and events going on and celebrity and youth photo campaign saying they “Claimed their future”, texting campaign, possible organizer conference in the summer.

Measurable Indicators

Politicians must enact policies that support

youth

Entire communities must come together to

support youth

Remove barriers of access to services and knowledge

Indicator: Legislative PassagesPopulation: Politicians

Indicator: RoundtablesPopulation: Community and Youth Leaders

Indicator: Number of Youth At ClinicPopulation: Youth

Indicator: Number of Loans/Credit Builder AccountsPopulation: Youth

Organizing Model

National Level: Board of Directors (15) – Two from “Young at Heart”PresidentExecutive DirectorPAC Director

PAC StaffChief Financial OfficerSenior Vice President, Policy and TrackingSenior Vice President, Governmental Relations

Policy CouncilSenior Vice President, Field Operations

Organizing Institute Accreditation BoardSenior Vice President, Advocacy CommunicationsSenior Vice President, Development

E^3 Coalition RepresentativesSTATE DIRECTORS NATIONAL COUNCIL

State Level: State Board of Directors (9)

State DirectorDeputy Director of FinanceDeputy Director of AdvcoacyDeputy Director of CommunicationsDeputy Director of Development

COUNTY DIRECTORS (as needed)

LOCAL CHAPTERS

Foundation: Board of Directors (15) – Elected from National Youth Association of America, Inc. President

Executive DirectorFund Director/Senior Vice-President of Financial

ServicesFund Advisory Board

Chief Financial OfficerSenior Vice President of CommunicationsSenior Vice President of Events and ProgramsSenior Vice President of Aid

2012 Field Strategy

For the 2012 electoral strategy, we will be concentrating on 20 Congressional Races. During our evaluation of congressional races, we attempted to identify races that would maximize the impact of our limited resources and have a cross-sectional impact for our dollar (maximize impact at the state and national level for other Senatorial, Gubernatorial, and Presidential campaigns). Additionally, we focused on races that we believed would allow us to take advantage of our major centers of members geographically and advance our organizational capacity for future use. Despite all of these, our core focus will be on the Congressional Races.  After 2012, we will attempt to build an avenue and access to relay youth related issues through a youth caucus and build a robust coalition of youth organizations to access the avenue through the NYA and push for issues that we want to see advocated for.

 The 20 races identified are as follows:  CA-26CA-10CO-3FL-8MD-6*MO-2NC-7NC-11NH-1NH-2*NV-3 NY-13NY-19OH-6TX-23**PA-08*PA-15*VA-02*VA-10*WA-10

Roundtables

Roundtable

Community

Leaders Pledge Action Plan

Business Leaders Pledge Funding

Youth Suggest Solutions

Fund

Youth across America have low/no credit scores and can’t get access to cash so they:

• Have to pay a ton of money on interest to go to college• Can’t start their own businesses• Have to charge regular stuff (textbooks, food) to credit cards with super high interest rates

Problem Solution

Create a new “Youth Credit Score” for low-interest:

• Start-Up Loans • Student Loans• Cash Advances

“Youth Credit Score” = Normal Credit + Grades + Activities + Recommendations

Credit Builder Accounts

Deposit a “loan” in an account and boost your credit score to lower interest rates on your mortgage, car, etc.

Clinics (Value)

BusinessesTarget

Customers (Youth)

Sales

Businesses ClinicsTarget

Customers (Youth)

Clinics (Revenue)

NYA

Clinics

Partner Product

s($)

Partner Product

s($)

Youth

Partners pay to have products featured in clinics. NYA refers as needed.

Partners

Partner Product

sYout

h

We refer youth to partners for services we cannot provide.

Partners

NYA

$

NYA receives a commission for every referral to keep clinics running.

Claim Your Future Asks

Unions/PACs

CorporationsMoney (Donor)

Money (Donor)

PAC/C4

PAC/C4

Money (Partner)

Clinics/Foundation

Money (Sponsor)

Roundtables/State

Directors

Money (Investor)

Fund

High Net Worth

Individuals

Money (Donor)

PAC/C4

Ask Who For What Who’s Asking

Money (Investor)

Fund

Celebrities

Youth LeadersPublicity/

Name

Publicity/Name

PAC/C4

PAC/C4

Organizations and Leaders

Publicity/Name

PAC/C4

Ask Who For What Who’s Asking

Claim Your Future Asks

Politicians Pledges PAC/C4

Publicity: Sharing on social networks (#claimyourfuture), Participating in a “Claim Your Future” Tumblr Photo Campaign

(holding up a “coupon” that people use to claim their future), listing their name on the website, emailing out (if organization)