What does it take to guarantee that the next generation of future leaders are prepared, inspired, and primed for success? While there is no particular pathway to success, the key is to begin building the talent pipeline early—when students are still in high school.

The tragic events that took place in Charlottesville over the weekend remind us of the need to stay focused on creating a better, safer world for all young people, and strengthen our resolve to work together toward that goal.

Adults aren’t the only ones struggling with mental illnesses, and as the research below shows, young people may even have more to lose. But allowing students to use “sick days” (or excused absences) for their mental health could go a long way in creating a culture of health in the classroom that can help them stay on track to graduating.

I am afraid I am not ready for college. I just graduated high school, and a statistic I recently found worries me: 70 percent of Americans will study at a four-year college this year, but less than two-thirds will graduate.

Kids of all ages need adults in their lives who care about them. It’s a fundamental, common-sense sort of truth. And yet, the importance of these relationships is often overlooked and misunderstood.

Whether it’s learning English or challenging the negative stereotypes of being an immigrant, one young man demonstrates the importance of persistence, courage, and hope in hard times in this moving personal narrative.

“What is an irrational fear you have?” This was a question I asked Manuel,* a tenth-grade student I mentored during my year of service as a City Year Los Angeles AmeriCorps member. It was part of a game I introduced to get him engaged in our time together.

Is the American Dream at risk? To mark the 20th anniversary of America’s Promise Alliance – and to support our campaign to encourage people, organizations, and communities to #Recommit2Kids – we asked our youth leaders to reflect on this question. This perspective is the third in a special series on the topic. For more perspectives, read Here is Where Hope Lies and When the American Dream Turns Into American Need.

Whether it's a parent, mentor, guidance counselor, coach, or neighbor, a caring adult can serve as the primary line of defense against adversity in the lives of young people.

When you grow up in a neighborhood as poverty-stricken as mine, all your life you hear about people who make it ‘out’—and the much bigger number who end up back in the neighborhood unsuccessful and committing crimes. My biggest fear is failure. I have witnessed it so many times walking to high school, bums laying on park benches running up to kids of all ages asking for money, teenagers, pants sagging to the floor, jaws full of paraphernalia, trying to make a quick buck. I don’t have to be a product of my environment.

The first time I stepped foot on campus, I didn’t imagine my time there would be short-lived. Over the excited whispers of freshmen during orientation, I heard the dean say, “Look to your left.

Get the run down on why youth leaders should apply for youth leadership opportunities at America's Promise.