The mission of the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) is to broaden the awareness and understanding of policymakers and to strengthen the youth policymaking process by bridging policy, practice, and research, by identifying the most pertinent high-quality information on youth issues available and providing a forum for prominent leaders in government, programming, and research, as well as the youth themselves, to share their viewpoints and expertise about the policies and practices that improve outcomes for all youth. The American Youth Policy Forum is a nonprofit, nonpartisan professional development organization based in Washington, DC, which provides learning opportunities for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers working on youth and education issues at the national, state, and local levels. AYPF's goal is to enable participants to become more effective in the development, enactment, and implementation of sound policies affecting the nation's young people by providing information, insights, and networks to better understand the development of healthy and successful young people, productive workers, and participating citizens in a democratic society. AYPF does not lobby or advocate for positions on pending legislation. Rather, they believe that greater intellectual and experiential knowledge of youth issues will lead to sounder, more informed policymaking. They strive to generate a climate of constructive action by enhancing communication, understanding, and trust among youth policy professionals.
