Opportunity Youth Network (OYN)

In the middle of the committee floor at the New Jersey Statehouse sits a small group of young people preparing to share their stories for advocacy. Of them, LEAD Charter School Class of 2022 graduate, Yaneliz Cabrera, prepares to discuss her experience with disconnection.

New data on youth well-being in your county and legislative district is available on the new Toward a Thriving Future dashboard from @MOA_org , @njoycoalition , and OYN. measureofamerica.org/thrivin…

From construction and fiber optics certifications at LEAD Charter School to studying cybersecurity at Essex County College, Tajae is building his own network. oyn-nj.org/updates/making-th…

Young people know why school stops working for them. This year, 343 spoke to the New Jersey Youth Voices Initiative, a project of the New Jersey Opportunity Youth Coalition. Opportunity youth need schools where they feel supported and belong. Explore more: njyouthvoices.portal.cortico…

Terron Williams facilitates conversations by naming his own experience, then inviting other young people to name theirs. New Jersey Youth Voices Initiative builds spaces where youth can say what's true about youth disconnection. Read Terron’s op-ed at oyn-nj.org/updates/more-than…

Terron Williams, NJ Youth Voices Initiative facilitator, proves the wrong path doesn't have to be the last one. He talks about what happens when you take youth voices seriously. Stay tuned for his op-ed, based on conversations with over 300 NJ young people. #YouthDisconnection

Our latest feature traces the partnership between Newark-based PGIM and YouthBuild/LEAD Charter School, revealing what young people can achieve when exposed to the professional world. oyn-nj.org/updates/invested-… #OpportunityYouth #PGIM #WorkforceDevelopment

Last year, Yaneliz Cabrera — LEAD Charter School grad & Youth Voices Sensemaking Fellow — spoke at Aspen Ideas: Economy about youth-centered change. Her message: youth written off as "troubled" often carry the most powerful voices. They just need the chance to direct it. #OYN

Today is International Youth Day! Across New Jersey, opportunity youth are graduating, building careers, and shaping their own futures, often without the recognition they deserve. We see them, and we're proud to support their work. #InternationalYouthDay #OpportunityYouth #OYN

$22.7 billion in lifetime savings to taxpayers and communities, from a single year of reconnecting opportunity youth to school and work. That's the ROI, and it's another reason why this work matters.(via @AspenInstitute OYF + @equalmeasure) #OpportunityYouth #WorkforceDevelopment

Behind the number is a person. Behind the person is a path forward. #OpportunityYouth #OYN #Newark #MondayMotivation

Adiya Muftawu grew up watching her father leave for work every morning in his construction boots. Now she’s building her own future with a strong foundation. Read it at 🔗 oyn-nj.org/updates/a-strong-…

First major initiative from the new state Ombudsman role OYN advocated for is here: @NewJerseyDOE's Disconnection Prevention and Student Re-Engagement webpage is live: early warning guidance, technical assistance, and clear pathways for youth. 🔗 nj.gov/education/safety/sand…

Our Youth Policy Council took on the NJ Statehouse last week. Students walked the halls, learned the legislative process, and asked the questions that matter. One student, scanning the wall of past governors: "How do I get my face up there?" That's the question.

Members of the YouthBuild Newark Youth Policy Council are heading back to the statehouse this week, bringing the perspectives of opportunity youth into the conversation. Here’s a look back at our previous visits ⬇️

“The only thing I can’t do is tell myself I can’t.” Meet Shandra Lora: Newark EMS Corps grad, future firefighter, and proof that real strength is built one quiet decision at a time. Read her Story of Transformation: oyn-nj.org/updates/for-the-s… #OpportunityYouth #NewarkEMSCorps

"By the time I learned the curriculum at one school, I'd have to move to the next." —Laylah Robinson, upcoming 2026 YouthBuild graduate🎓 104,400 opportunity youth in NJ. The data tells us the problem. The work tells us what's possible when we meet young people where they are 💙

From overlooked student to statewide youth voice coordinator. Yaneliz Cabrera, LEAD Class of 2023, is now the person young people turn to, because she's been exactly where they are. #OpportunityYouth #OYN

"You don't have to become someone else to succeed. You just have to refine who you already are." — Jasmine Joseph-Forman, Chief Program Officer at NOYN. Women's History Month – lifting up the women shaping Newark's future right now. #WomensHistoryMonth #OpportunityYouth #Newark

New data: NJ's youth disconnection rate rose from 9.4% → 9.9% in just one year — that's 104,400 young people ages 16–24 not in school and not working. This is a call to action. Read the brief from @MeasureofAmerica, in partnership with OYN and @NJOYC: shorturl.at/ARbzo

Newark youth are leading the research. LEAD grad Kevin Abel went from trainee to trainer as the NJ Youth Voices Initiative expands statewide. Youth across NJ are sharing the same experiences, and this work is just getting started. 🔗 Learn more: newarkyouthvoices.portal.cor…