Youth Forward MKE Reflects and Refocuses on the Road Ahead

AYC members Jeffrey and Eva join Maria and Executive Director Vincent in Washington D.C. at a StriveTogether policy summit.

Youth Forward MKE’s summer coalition meeting on June 25 was alive with energy, purpose and momentum. With a goal of reconnecting, reflecting and refocusing, the meeting was more than a check-in – it was a chance to celebrate powerful progress, elevate youth leadership and align around bold new goals.

A Year of Groundwork and Growth

“Over the past year, this coalition has pushed forward some powerful work building youth leadership, supporting organizations with resources and coaching, and creating space for youth voice to be heard and acted upon,” said Maria Hamidu, the Youth Forward MKE program manager at Milwaukee Succeeds.

One prime example is the Autonomous Youth Council (AYC). Since its launch last summer, council members have honed their skills and entered into placements with eight local organizations, serving on boards, shaping programs and influencing policies. From data and research to multimedia storytelling, their impact is already being felt across Milwaukee.

Throughout the past year, Youth Forward MKE has also used their capacity grant process to invest in local youth-serving organizations. This funding has helped fuel Teach for America’s Teacher Pathways program, the Sky Schools breathwork curriculum, MENTOR Greater Milwaukee’s Youth Voice Summit and the new Latine Youth Achievement Report from Marquette’s BLEST Hub.

The coalition even deepened its commitment to equity by expanding the use of the Youth Adult Equity Ladder Assessment, a tool that helps organizations measure their commitment to youth leadership and guides them toward meaningful improvements.

This emphasis on shared leadership was on full display at the Empowered MKE convening last November, where youth and adult partners came together to co-create change. The gathering sparked new momentum, including the launch of a citywide reading initiative now taking root in Milwaukee.

“So I have to say that as a coalition, we've done some pretty great work within our city and for our young people and coalition partners,” summarized Maria.

Strategic Projects in Motion

The next chapter of Youth Forward MKE is being shaped by the Strategic Priority Workgroup, the coalition’s engine for planning and implementation. This year, the workgroup is launching three bold, youth-centered projects:

1. Post-Secondary Pathways Program

The Post-Secondary Pathways Program aims to expand awareness, access and confidence among Milwaukee youth when it comes to nontraditional paths like trades, apprenticeships and service programs. Led in part by AYC member Aliyah through her placement with Milwaukee Succeeds, the program is working to reduce stigma and shift the narrative around what success looks like after high school. Current efforts include outreach to local organizations, event planning, servey development and the creation of a resource guide to help students navigate their options.

“Our purpose is simple and powerful,” said Aliyah. “We want to connect Milwaukee youth with diverse post-secondary options, support youth employment and contribute to local economic growth, as well as shift perspective and build community value around nontraditional careers.”

2. Youth-Led Mini Grantmaking Pilot

The Youth-Led Mini Grantmaking Pilot will put real decision-making power in the hands of young people by training them to review, award and evaluate small grants for youth-serving initiatives. The goal is to not only fund meaningful projects, but also to build sustainable leadership skills and ensure that youth are directly involved in determining where resources go within their communities.

“This will help us dive into what really matters to young people and identify areas where they would like to see change,” said Maria.

Grantmakers will also help track how funds are used, giving them a full view of the process – from application to impact. Though the grants are intentionally small, the opportunity is big: empowering young people to shape priorities, influence funding decisions and invest in the change they want to see.

3. From Listening to Action: A Community Narrative Toolkit

What started as an idea to host community listening sessions evolved into something deeper: a toolkit to help others lead equity-centered, accountable conversations within their community. From Listening to Action: A Community Narrative Toolkit will guide schools, organizations and community groups in designing and hosting meaningful listening sessions. The project will include templates, planning guides, facilitation tips and tools for analyzing and using community input responsibly.

The Autonomous Youth Council: Partner Placements

The AYC continues to play a central role in Youth Forward MKE’s vision for change, moving beyond traditional internships to place young people in meaningful decision-making roles. This approach not only empowers council members to develop critical leadership skills but also ensures their voices directly influence policies and programs across Milwaukee.

At the June meeting, council members shared insights from their diverse placements, illustrating the breadth and depth of their impact. At Arts at Large, for instance, Lola Johnson and two fellow AYC members are helping launch the organization’s Mobile Media Van, which will use storytelling and art to engage the community.

“We're going to use the van to…[gather] stories from a range of ages, and we're going to ask people to draw their perspective on iPads, making a short film and utilizing multimedia to create a story,” explained Lola.

Meanwhile, over at Your Move MKE, Tai Rush is diving into events and creating a dialogue around critical issues like police-community relations. Deh Nee’s board-level placement with Data You Can Use has already deepened his understanding of strategic decision-making and fiscal responsibility, while also helping him discover his own personal strengths. And over at Lad Lake, Kaylee Marsh is navigating practical challenges in order to change policies – starting with the organization’s dress code.

The Autonomous Youth Council: Summer Training

The AYC 2025 summer training series, held at ThriveOn King.

To build on these real-world experiences, AYC members will participate in a weeklong summer academy from July 7-11, led by returning facilitator Angela Harris. The week’s theme – From Roots to Resistance: Rewriting the Future of Education – will guide council members through Milwaukee’s legacy of youth-led activism and help them apply those lessons to their current work.

“I really want them to be able to connect with the activism that has happened here in the city of Milwaukee, in particular the youth-led activism that has happened both historically and currently,” Angela said. “What does it look like to learn about historical movements, and how can we make that applicable to the work that we are trying to do today, whether it's in their current placements or some personal issue that they want to organize around?”

The academy will culminate in the creation of zines – short multimedia magazines – that will allow participants to explore what it looks like, sounds like and feels like when education is truly liberating.

Moving Forward

“We want to continuously build on what we've done in the past and also focus and address other areas that we can have impact in,” Maria said.

The energy sparked at the summer meeting made one thing clear: Youth Forward MKE is not standing still. By reconnecting with purpose, reflecting on progress and refocusing on impact, the coalition is charting a bold path forward – and building the future Milwaukee’s youth deserve.