A goal we’re working toward: putting real decision-making power in the hands of young people, because the people closest to a problem often know the solution.
Why This Matters
Too often, decisions about young people are made without them in the room. Programs get built for teens and young adults instead of with them, based on what adults assume they need. Young people live these challenges every day. They see the gaps adults miss, and they know what actually helps and what just looks good on paper. When their voices are left out, the help often misses too.
Where This Project Stands
We want to be honest: the Teen Empowered Voices Project isn’t an active program yet. But it’s where we plan to start, because it shapes everything else we build.
Our planned first step: a short, anonymous survey asking young people what they actually need when life gets hard. We’ll share what we learn publicly, and use it to decide what PFWorks builds next.
What We Hope to Build
- Regular ways for young people to tell us what they need, and see what we do with their answers
- A youth advisory group that helps shape PFWorks’s priorities
- Over time, youth-led decision-making about how resources are used, with adults supporting rather than directing
How You Can Help
If you work with young people, at a school, shelter, library, or community program, we’d love your help sharing the survey once it’s ready. And if you have ideas about what young people in your community need, we want to hear them.
Not for young people. With them.