Since 2001, the Freechild Institute for Youth Engagement has served nonprofit community-based organizations on the local, state/province, federal and international levels. We consult organizations on youth voice, youth empowerment, youth engagement, youth/adult partnerships, youth leadership and more. We providing training, consultation, evaluation, freelance writing and other services to community-based organizations.
Freechild Institute Services for Communities
The Freechild Institute contracts with nonprofit community-based organizations and non-governmental organizations to provide training, consultation, evaluation, freelance writing and other services to support youth engagement efforts. Contact us for details.
We have also created a number of tools that can be used to build youth engagement in communities. They include…
- Youth and Nonprofits
- Youth and Community Development
- Understanding Roles for Youth in Community Development
- Youth as Board Directors
- Creating a Youth Engagement Map
- Systems for Youth Engagement
For a complete booklet of case studies or more information about contracting with the Freechild Institute, please contact us.
Community Case Studies
The following are selected, abbreviated examples of contracts and consultations completed with community organizations by the Freechild Institute and Adam F.C. Fletcher.
RACIAL EQUITY—In 2021, Freechild contracted with the Anti-Defamation League of the Plains States in Omaha, Nebraska, to plan, implement and facilitate a project called “Unraveling Racism.” Working closely with staff from the ADL, the Omaha Jewish Federation, and several local synagogues, Freechild’s Adam F.C. Fletcher facilitated, spoke at, and participated in seven different structured activities and several informal ones over the course of four days, all focused on identifying white supremacy, addressing white privilege, and naming racism throughout the Jewish community in Omaha and beyond into the city’s white population. Approximately 500 people throughout Omaha attended the events, including more than 40 youth.
BRAZILIAN YOUTH ENGAGEMENT—In 2014, the Centro de Estudos e Pesquisas em Educação, Cultura e Ação Comunitária (Center for Studies and Research in Education, Culture and Community Action), or CENPEC, hosted the Freechild Institute for a residency in São Paulo, Brazil. Over the course of eight days, Freechild staff spoke to eight different groups, workshopped with more than 300 youth and adults, was interviewed by several newspapers and television stations, and met with countless educators, activists and policymakers from across Brazil.
COMMUNITY YOUTH ENGAGEMENT—From 2011 to 2016, the Freechild Institute supported a community-wide youth engagement initiative in Miami, Florida. Activities began with facilitating an city-wide Imagine Miami workshop on meaningful youth involvement. More than 150 nonprofit and community leaders participated in a seven-hour seminar focused on practically, purposefully engaging diverse youth in changing communities. The event was hosted by Catalyst Miami, formerly the Human Services Coalition of Miami/Dade County, with sponsorship from the Children’s Trust of Miami, SoundOut and The Freechild Project. After that, Freechild served as a consultant and trainer for the SoundOut Institute operated by Catalyst Miami from 2011-2014. Freechild staff led the adaptation of the SoundOut Student Voice Curriculum, a 250-page, 26-session, project-driven, hands-on student action curriculum, facilitated train-the-trainer activities for staff, and provided ongoing technical assistance for the program staff. In addition to training facilitators and adult allies, Freechild worked with Catalyst Miami staff and school partners focused on successfully infusing student voice in Miami schools for the next four years.
COLLECTIVE IMPACT—From 2012 to 2014, the Freechild Institute provided leadership to the Pacific Mountain Regional Youth Alliance through a contract with Educational Service District 113 in Tumwater, Washington. Freechild staff consulted a planning team including representatives from five organizations focused on developing a collective impact strategy to affect change in southwest Washington. They also facilitated Alliance gatherings for more than 500 participants, including planning team meetings and reflections afterwards.
FOSTER CARE REFORM—From 2009 to 2013, the Freechild Institute consulted the American Institutes for Research (AIR) Technical Assistance Program focused on youth involvement in systems of care. Supported by SAMSHA, this project was designed by AIR to provide nationwide support for youth in foster care as they became systems advocates for transforming, sustaining and advocating change in their lives and the lives of those who came after them. Freechild provided expert guidance for staff and grantees across the country, and co-writing a national guidance manual, and Adam F.C. Fletcher keynoted several national gatherings, trained local grantees, and assisted in the evaluation and reporting of activities. Reyhan Reid, a Program Coordinator with American Institutes for Research, wrote “Adam truly cares about people; nowhere is this more evident than in his passion for creating inclusive communities with a space for everyone. His passion for youth engagement is contagious and I appreciate his ability to challenge us be our better selves so that we can live in better communities that support and honor us all.”
HEALTHY KIDS—As a consultant to the national nonprofit Action For Healthy Kids from 2008 to 2010, the Freechild Institute coordinated a statewide youth-led action program in Washington state focused on youth improving nutrition and physical activities in K-12 schools. Providing training, technical assistance and program support for 12 high school teams based around the state, Freechild facilitated social media management with more than 1,000 messages in 22 months; conducted two dozen student-created school advertising campaigns; administered $20,000 in grant funds, and other efforts focused on building the ability of local schools to engage students in healthy lifestyles. The national organization also contracted Freechild to write a proposal for a national youth advisory board and to provide speeches at state and national events. For his leadership in this program, Adam F.C. Fletcher was named a “Healthy School Champion” by former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher.
YOUTH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT—In 2011, Adam F.C. Fletcher was invited to deliver a statewide conference for mayors focused on youth engagement in economic development. Afterward, the Freechild Institute was contracted to draft a knowledge-sharing, skill-building publication for the North Carolina Center for Rural Economic Development called the New Generation Initiative Youth and Young Adult Engagement Guide. Writing a 100+ page manual, the Center then contracted with Freechild to facilitate a statewide training workshop focused on the Guide in 2012.
For a complete booklet of case studies or more information about contracting with the Freechild Institute, please contact us.
Freechild Institute Youth Action Program
Freechild Institute for Youth Engagement 