Youth Voices aims to empower youth in underserved communities around the globe with real-world experiences and 21st century tools to communicate their ideas, exhibit their potential, and take action in their communities.

 

Overview
Launched in June 2006, Adobe Youth Voices is the Adobe Foundation's global signature philanthropy program designed to provide youth in underserved communities with the critical skills they need to become active and engaged members of their communities and the world at large. The Adobe Foundation invests nearly US$8 million per year in the Adobe Youth Voices program, primarily through training, educational resources, and grants. The program also leverages software donations and employee volunteers from Adobe Systems Incorporated.

With a focus on empowering youth, Adobe Youth Voices supports young people in and out of school and encourages the use of cutting-edge multimedia tools to communicate and share their ideas, demonstrate their potential, and take action where they live.

 

The Adobe Youth Voices global network currently includes more than 750 sites and a large, expanding number of grantees and organizations in 50 countries. Since its inception, Adobe Youth Voices has engaged over 150,000 youth and 8,200 educators in schools and out-of-school programs.

Program Impact

The Adobe Youth Voices initiative includes four components:

 

Adobe Youth Voices sites engage talented educators of middle- and high school-age youth - in both school and out-of-school programs - in a yearlong professional development and support program. Educators enhance their teaching strategies, gain new skills, and collaborate with like-minded educators and youth media experts to enable youth to express themselves using digital tools and to create media with a personally meaningful purpose.

Strategic Partners
Adobe Youth Voices operates throughout the world via a network of Strategic Partners, including school districts and nonprofit organizations, that help bring the benefits of AYV to a wider network of educators and youth in targeted geographies in both formal education and out-of-school settings. Strategic partners are selected based on their ability to scale the program through large networks of schools or community-based organizations, either in a geographic region or globally, and/or generate visibility for the Adobe Youth Voices program and the youth-produced work. Partner sites are selected to receive software donations and educators from those sites are provided comprehensive training in youth media making practices.

 

Adobe Youth Voices Grants
Through a competitive grant process Adobe Youth Voices funds youth media organizations that showcase a diversity of approaches to media education. Grantees facilitate exceptional youth-produced projects on issues relevant to young people, and partner with the Adobe Foundation on exhibition opportunities.

Adobe Youth Voices Essentials is a set of open curricula and resources based on the best practices of the Adobe Youth Voices program. It includes downloadable sample curriculum and activities for video, multimedia, digital art, web, animation, or audio projects. Adobe Youth Voices Essentials is open to all educators to take advantage of a set of proven curricula and resources without the application process

 

The Adobe Foundation is collaborating with the Education Development Center (EDC) in a coordinated, ongoing evaluation of Adobe Youth Voices. The evaluation is measuring the effectiveness of Adobe Youth Voices regarding intended outcomes for teachers and students. The evaluation focuses on documenting the outcomes achieved by youth and teachers participating in the program. For youth, positive results include a deepened engagement in education and career development as well as the acquisition of relevant 21st century skills and increased self-confidence and pride in their abilities. Teacher outcomes include gaining skills in effectively using digital tools with youth, increasing the use of digital tools to teach across content areas, and capitalizing on the learning opportunities presented when youth use media to express themselves.

Engage, enhance, exhibit

Engaging young people in exciting and meaningful new ways, Adobe Youth Voices provides an unparalleled opportunity for middle school and high school youth to communicate their concerns, aspirations, and vision. Young people who may have been feeling disengaged learn how to think creatively, communicate effectively, and work collaboratively -- all critically important skills that can help them attain a competitive edge in school, their careers, and life.

 

Enhancing educators' skills and resources, the program provides comprehensive professional development in teaching strategies that incorporate cutting-edge digital tools. Those who work with youth can learn new ways to encourage the use of 21st century communications skills in telling stories that make a real impact.

Exhibiting participants' work is a key element of the Adobe Youth Voices program. The program provides youth with forums in which to share their vision and voice for a public purpose -- via traveling art exhibits, film screenings, and festivals; on the Internet; in publications; and through other local and global venues.

The case for Adobe Youth Voices

Adobe Youth Voices provides underserved youth around the world with the skills they need to prosper in the global 21st century economy. A comprehensive 21st century education enables students to think analytically, communicate effectively, work collaboratively, and solve complex problems. The rudimentary, basic skills education of the past era is no longer sufficient. Successful citizens and workers of this new knowledge-based age need a greatly expanded worldview and set of skills. Creativity and facility with technology are central to learning, synthesizing information, and exchanging ideas. Many youth are denied the benefit of this essential 21st century education because they lack access to appropriate technological resources, and their educators are not equipped or supported to use technology to enhance learning.

Young people see change and technology all around them and may feel detached from their outmoded education. They doubt the relevance of schooling and how it will benefit them in the future. They may become increasingly apathetic and disengaged. In the United States, this lack of engagement is a major cause of dropping out of high school. Around the world, a disastrous number of young people leave school for economic and social reasons. But the greatest barrier for many young people is their lack of belief in themselves and their own power to change their lives and their world. Adobe Youth Voices affirms the potential of underserved youth and provides them with breakthrough opportunities to persuasively express their ideas. Equally important, Adobe Youth Voices also provides youth with a worldwide audience to hear what they have to say.

Adobe Youth Voices evaluation and contribution framework

Adobe Youth Voices evaluation framework

Adobe Youth Voices addresses the challenges presented in the case for the program by contributing in five critical areas. A framework of Adobe Youth Voices' six areas of contribution serves as a structure for evaluating the program's impact.

Adobe Youth Voices contributions framework

Models a comprehensive 21st century education
Increases youth access to technology
Provides training and support for educators in the use of technology
Connects with the real lives of students
Increases young people's feelings of engagement and self-worth
Provides opportunities for youth to feel valued and heard