Collaborative on Global Children's Issues

In an era of deep political fragmentation and polycrisis, young people are often portrayed as either a demographic threat to be managed or a vulnerable group in need of saving. These deficit-based narratives do more than just shape headlines—they dictate the laws, budgets, and policies that govern youth lives in Washington, DC, and globally.

This workshop, led by Senior Fellow Sarah Sladen, challenges participants to flip the script. By deconstructing how historical and contemporary narratives have marginalized youth agency, we will introduce the positive youth development (PYD) framework and other asset-based models. Participants will move beyond "victim vs. villain" narratives to explore how seeing young people as strategic partners can fundamentally transform social and political investments.

Attendees will gain:

• ​Skills to identify and dismantle harmful narratives in media and policy, using historical and contemporary examples.
• An understanding of how narratives about young people inform real-world attitudes, policies, and laws.
• An introduction to the asset-based positive youth development framework and how this and similar frameworks are applied in real-world youth and community development in the United States and globally.
• Practical strategies for applying asset-based frameworks to real-world projects.

This workshop provides the foundational mindset of moving from seeing youth as a problem to recognizing them as part of the solution, which prepares participants for the subsequent “Intergenerational Moral Leadership Workshop,” offered March 13–14, 2026. That workshop will focus on moving from narrative to partnership. While the two workshops are designed as a sequential journey, participants may enroll in one or both.

Completing both workshops will provide not only the tools to advocate for better youth policy, but also the relational skills and moral grounding necessary to lead and collaborate effectively across generations.

This is an in-person event and will not be recorded. It is open to all, including students, faculty, staff, and members of the broader community.

View resources related to this workshop.