Youth Catalyst Team
A national initiative for young leaders, ages 18-24, who use their knowledge, skills, vision, and personal understanding of systems/services to advance the youth services field.
Youth Catalyst Team (YCT) members operate as paid consultants: providing training and coaching, developing tools and resources, and propelling national awareness efforts and systems change. Youth and young adult leaders are part of the team - working in authentic partnership with Youth Collaboratory to reimagine possibilities for each youth, family, agency, and the larger youth services field.
About Us
What is the Youth Catalyst Team (YCT)?
YCT members operate as paid consultants at $45/hour: providing training and coaching, developing tools and resources, and propelling national awareness efforts and systems change. Youth and young adult leaders are part of the team - focusing on creating transformative change in programs, services, and systems for youth experiencing homelessness, strengthening mentoring programs for older youth, and other initiatives as they arise. YCT members are passionate about using their expertise to improve programs, services, and systems, resulting in stronger outcomes for youth and young adults.
What is the Girls Action Board (GAB)?
GAB consultants are part of the Youth Catalyst Team, operating as paid consultants at $40/hour. GAB members will focus on preventing and addressing trafficking, with a focus on culturally responsive services for Black girls. The GAB team aims to create pathways for Black girls to lead in the work that centers their healing, resilience, and professional development. Members use their knowledge, skills, and vision to assist in overseeing the preventing and addressing trafficking initiative, provide insight, co-create materials, co-facilitate webinars, and share their expertise to ensure quality, culturally responsive services for Black girls.
About the Work
Take a look at a few of the projects YCT consultants put out this past year:
- Resource Development
- Webinars
- Writing blogs and resource sharing:
- Bridging the Gap in Mental Health: Focusing on Underrepresented Groups
- The Youth Are Disabled (But So Are You)
- Disability Rights, Pride, and Justice in the Youth Services Field
- Let's Celebrate Black Queer & Trans Lives this Pride
- Homeless & Formerly Homeless Youth Face Steep Challenges to Access Healthcare
- National Foster Care Awareness Month: Tied to Change
Meet Our Members
Each YCT member brings unique skills, expertise, and energy to the team, and to Youth Collaboratory as a whole. Meet the Current Members of the YCT Team.
Guide to Authentic Youth Leadership and Collaboration
The Youth Catalyst Team created a tool to share some of their best practices! This guide is for youth and young adult leaders, catalysts, and advocates - as well as the adult collaborators that support their work. You can use this guide as a template for developing and sustaining youth and young adult leadership groups. Download the guide.
Girls Action Board Poem: Black Girl, Speak Your Mind
The Girls Action Board (GAB) aims to create pathways for Black girls to lead in the work that centers their healing, resilience, and professional development. GAB members wrote and performed this collaborative poetry piece about the importance of centering Black girls.
Learn More
For more information about the Youth Catalyst Team, or to request training, consultation, brainstorming, coaching, or other project partnership, email us at yct@youthcollaboratory.org.
