YIPA's Statewide Alliances by Scott Beaty, YIPA's Executive Director and Clare Ryan, YIPA's Promise Fellow

Why is YIPA a part of Minnesota-wide alliances? Because two heads are better than one. Because united we provide a powerful voice for youth in Minnesota. Because, mostly importantly, we believe in a continuum of services. Youth intervention does not stand alone, nor does it encompass the entire life of a young person. Early childhood, out-of-school time, public health, juvenile justice, education, job training, mentoring and so many others play just as vital roles in the lives of Minnesota’s children and youth. It is easy to become silos – to see the great value in our own work and lose sight of the power of our collective work. YIPA believes deeply in this collective work.

YIPA is currently a part of three main statewide alliances: The Minnesota Children’s Platform Coalition (MNCPC), the Youth Policy Alliance (YPA), and the Juvenile Justice Coalition (JJC). All three of these groups are made up of representatives from statewide organizations and agencies, all are policy-focused and support a continuum of services for children and youth.

The Minnesota Children’s Platform Coalition is broader in its representation – covering children’s and youth issues of all kinds. Recently, the MNCPC convened a working session to designate the most important issues for children and youth in Minnesota today. The outcome was a 6-question survey for the 2010 gubernatorial candidates. The survey (click here for a preview of the questions) will be distributed to all candidates this summer and responses will be posted on MNCPC participant’s websites. YIPA will make sure to post the responses on this blog as well! Responses are expected back by July 10th. We hope that this survey will illuminate the candidates’ positions on children and youth issues from education to crime prevention to early intervention to homelessness.

The Youth Policy Alliance is more focused in that it represents solely the needs of youth. YIPA is the convener and administrator of the YPA. The YPA also has an upcoming summer legislative initiative. We plan to contact key legislators and provide them with information on the rich financial, individual and community benefits of investing in youth. The YPA’s major event will take place early next spring with a Youth Rally Day at the Capitol. Check back here and at www.mnyipa.org in the coming months for further details.

The JJC “seeks to create an effective juvenile justice system in the state of Minnesota that promotes the physical, psychological, educational and vocational well-being of youth, while holding youth accountable for their actions and protecting the public safety of the community.” YIPA staff members sit on legislative, training and diversion committees for the juvenile justice coalition. These committees discuss and provide recommendations for legislative initiatives and priorities, new training opportunities for professionals in the juvenile justice world, and best practices in diversion programs.

YIPA participates in a number of other alliances in order to bring the voice of youth intervention to the table. As YIPA’s executive director, I share the youth intervention perspective with the Minnesota Council of Non-Profits Public Policy Cabinet. This group is made up of representatives from a wide range of non-profits, all of whom spend time advocating for their cause at the Capitol.

YIPA is also a member of the Midwest Society of Association Executives (MSAE) – the professional association of associations in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Since joining YIPA, our Membership Coordinator, Chris Klejbuk, has been engaged with MSAE's Membership Committee that meets to share new ideas on association membership recruitment, retention and engagement.

We are so grateful to the organizations and individuals who have put their time into making these statewide alliances successful. If any of our readers are interested in being a part of these groups or has another statewide alliance that you think YIPA should know about, please let us know!