Adolescents in California: Creating the Conditions for Thriving

Those lines, first read by poet Amanda Gorman at the presidential inauguration on January 20, 2021, still resonate deeply today, reminding us of the tangle of courage and fear, brilliance and burdens that are the hallmarks of adolescence.

As a Foundation that devotes its resources, time, and energy to advancing adolescent thriving, we are unabashed champions of young people. We honor their contributions and creativity, their capacity for joy and their demand for justice, and their resolve to flourish, even while public systems – from education to workforce development to public health – are not typically designed to center their thriving.

If, as we believe, our collective charge is to reimagine these public systems, we need to start by deepening our understanding of how adolescents experience those systems. That’s why we began three years ago to work with researchers to gather public data about young people in California. What we have learned, however, is that it is much easier to ask questions about adolescents than it is to answer them. Information about academic performance exists as a disconnected patchwork of datasets, timeframes, and demographics. Information about the health and well-being of young people is similarly disjointed and incomplete. And while a growing number of researchers are studying how adolescents are contributing to the economy, to their schools, families, and communities, and to a democratic society, there is no go-to source where this information is gathered and curated.

In fact, much of what we see and hear about young people is framed by the challenges they face, rather than the hopeful present and future they are creating. This is, in part, a reflection of the questions we are collectively asking about young people. It is also a reflection of the measures by which we have defined success. For example, while we need to track important measures like chronic absenteeism, time in school alone fails to capture adolescents’ experiences, including whether they feel seen and safe, and whether they are happy, challenged, and inspired. We think all these measures matter.

… much of what we see and hear about young people is framed by the challenges they face, rather than the hopeful present and future they are creating.

Most critically, we believe young people themselves should be an integral part of the process of deciding how we measure their well-being, engagement, progress, and preparedness for the future. In California, we are fortunate to have statewide practices for engaging students, including some that were hard-fought by young people themselves. Unfortunately, however, most student engagement – on topics big and small – remains episodic and shallow. This is true in most schools and districts, and it is also the case among philanthropy, including the Stuart Foundation. Our commitment moving forward is to prioritize respectful, authentic, and sustained engagement with adolescents. This will be a central component of the Purpose of Education Fund and a commitment that will extend across all our work.

I don’t pretend to have the answers for deep engagement with adolescents. But I do know we have some systems in place that can be leveraged and that more opportunities can be identified – but only if we make listening to and partnering with young people a collective priority.

That starts with curiosity about young people themselves. And it starts with a recognition of the enormous contributions they already make – and their capacity for so much more. With this in mind, we offer a new resource: Adolescents in California: Creating the Condition for Thriving. Rather than a deep dive into all the available data, it is, first and foremost, a celebration of young people and their many roles and contributions. Think of it as an invitation to a conversation about how we collectively create the conditions for thriving.

I welcome your thoughts, additions, and provocations.

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