These are some of the troubling statistics that moved the White House Council for Community Solutions, established last December, to take up its charge: recommending to the President ways the Administration might help youth forge new pathways to a sustainable future. As I met with fellow members of the Council last month in our second meeting, I was struck by the power of this diverse collaboration.

The Council includes 25 individuals from all walks of life: a charismatic and deeply committed rock singer; the president of Tulane University; a senior partner in a D.C. consulting firm; top executives from Starbucks and eBay. Nonprofit and foundation leaders of secular and faith-based organizations are well represented. Their missions range from low-income housing to high art and culture.    

The Council is as diverse as it is focused with laser-like intensity on its mission to create new routes to success for disconnected youth. That’s a good thing considering that today 4 million young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 are neither in school nor working. What happens to these individuals as they slip deeper into a spiral of poverty? Some eke out an existence that keeps them living on the edge with little hope; others fall into more treacherous downward spiral:

• Homeless People. They carry their belongings from bridge to back alley, foraging in trash cans and dumpsters for every meal;
• Victims. They are easy prey for traffickers of people and drugs; or
• Criminals. As alternatives for living a decent life fade away, they mug, steal cars, or break into people’s homes.

As a society, we must interrupt this unnecessary cycle and work more effectively together to create on-ramps of opportunity for an entire generation of disconnected adolescents and young people.

I am convinced that any successful effort to do so will take nothing less than a partnership of nonprofit organizations, committed business leaders, and government engagement. It will be essential for business to see its effort as an investment in a generation that will surely strengthen the American workforce. Likewise, community colleges, technical institutes, and other training grounds must be actively involved by ensuring their subject matter translates into real world work skills. Local, state, and national government would be well served by coordinating and bundling the myriad of programs that touch this age group into holistic, wrap-around support systems for high-risk children and families. And our nonprofit organizations must redouble their efforts to work in community partnerships in ways that strategically align all ingredients necessary for successful outcomes.

These are my personal observations about the Council’s area of focus of course. I don’t speak for the group or represent its thinking and deliberations. I’ve found this experience to be an invaluable reminder of the power generated from approaching a societal concern – in this case, our nation’s disconnected youth – through the eyes of a truly diverse network of players. Said differently, nuclear scientists split atoms by bombarding them from all directions with millions of high-speed particles. In the process, a tremendous amount of energy is released – in our sector, we too must tap such energy by involving a diverse mix of talent, skills, and resources in ways that yield new synergies on behalf of the people and causes we serve.

One of the best ways to break apart the looming challenges on the horizon involves partnering with people outside our fields of practice as well as with government and business. Take children’s health care. I recall a story in the Washington Post about children complaining of pollen allergies. When a doctor realized the problem was actually mold and rats in run-down apartments, a lawyer began documenting housing code violations and forced the landlord to make repairs. This unique partnership between doctors and lawyers is the result of a joint venture between the Children’s Medical Center and the nonprofit Children’s Law Center. Last year, they helped over 300 families alone. That’s just one example of a rich partnership that has blossomed between our sector and business.

Equally innovative partnerships exist between our sector and government. Not too long ago, I met an employee working at a game park in Botswana. He described how public interest groups prompted the government to pass laws requiring resort companies to hire 60 percent of staff from the surrounding villages and build classrooms, stores, or other public facilities desired by the villagers. Everyone benefitted. Companies retained reliable staff and still made a profit; locals got jobs as well as investments in their communities; and government cultivated a productive citizenry in harmony with successful business development.

As you know, not every situation lends itself to a strategic partnership with another nonprofit, business, or government. But I urge you to think hard about whether that is really true and to share your thoughts in the comment section below.
My experiences thus far on the White House Council have re-affirmed my strong belief that no organization or sector – however powerful, however well intentioned – can solve our nation’s mega problems on its own. But if we pull together toward a shared goal and put in place mechanisms to measure our progress, I’m equally convinced that nothing can stop us.