Engaging Youth in the Future of Democracy: One Foundation’s Vision

At the approach of a high-stakes election, voter turnout is top of mind for many, including which segments of the population are likely — or unlikely — to turn in a ballot in the coming days. Low rates of youth voter turnout often take center stage in these conversations — and for good reason. We should be deeply concerned about how engaged youth are in democratic processes. But the question that’s often missing from these conversations is: How are we empowering youth to engage civically?

YouthTruth’s recent report, Youth Civic Empowerment, drew on data from more than 115,000 high school students, and revealed troubling gaps in civic preparedness for this key demographic — young, first-time voters. Many students report lacking confidence in their ability to make a difference or engage in fundamental acts of citizenship, like voting, and shared that they see their academic work as primarily “credentialing” — preparing them for careers and private good, but not public life. In a recent post on the CEP blog, we examined this data, getting at the question, “Are schools fulfilling their broader mission to prepare each generation for democratic participation?”

In this follow-up Q&A, we speak with Kathryn Bradley of the Stuart Foundation, a key funder of our Youth Civic Empowerment project. The Stuart Foundation’s support of this initiative has provided thousands of schools with valuable data on students’ sense of empowerment, while also enabling the foundation to listen closely to youth experiences and shape their civic empowerment strategy. Kathryn shares why the foundation has prioritized this work and how they are helping students see themselves as active agents of change. Her insights underscore the critical role funders can — and should — play in empowering the next generation and fostering a stronger democracy.

Jen de Forest: Why has the Stuart Foundation taken on such a big challenge of strengthening youth civic empowerment and democracy, and what motivates your organization to tackle it?

Kathryn Bradley: At the Stuart Foundation, we recognize that schools are vital spaces where young people develop agency, critical thinking skills, and a sense of belonging. They are often the first place where students engage with a public system and experience whether they have a role in shaping it. Schools are tasked with preparing students for work, civic engagement, and democratic participation as future leaders and stewards of our democracy. We are motivated by the ecosystem of organizations and individuals working to ensure both in-school and out-of-school environments foster critical thinking, amplify youth voice, and create safe spaces where young people feel free to bring their full selves to school and their communities.

JdeF: Given the YouthTruth report’s findings that many students don’t see civic engagement as part of their education, how is the Stuart Foundation addressing this disconnect and helping inspire students to view themselves as active participants in democracy?

KB: There are numerous examples of young people sharing their vision for what they’d like to see in schools, states, and our country. Schools, along with the broader system, have a responsibility to create opportunities for students to practice civic engagement while developing the skills, mindsets, and dispositions needed to drive the changes they want to see in their schools and communities.

Through the Purpose of Education Fund, the Stuart Foundation will support organizations within the larger ecosystem that are creating the conditions for educators, students, and the broader community to engage in experiences that help young people recognize they have the skills, knowledge, and support to shape their lives and impact their families, schools, communities, and the world.

JdeF: Aside from this report, can you provide insights into any partnerships or programs the Stuart Foundation is currently involved in that are directly impacting how schools and communities foster youth civic empowerment?

KB: Through the Purpose of Education Fund, we support organizations that work directly with young people, schools, educators, and communities to foster youth civic empowerment. Organizations like Generation Citizen transforms how civics is taught by providing hands-on community-based civics education with an equity-centered approach. In addition, Mikva Challenge offers broad opportunities to teach and learn democracy by doing democracy in real time. Brown Issues also utilizes various platforms, including social media and in-person programming to cultivate the next generation of Brown leaders through civic engagement, healing, and narrative change.

We are also involved in funder collaboratives that take up key issues like youth mental health and thriving youth. These collaboratives support relationship-building, knowledge-sharing, and collaboration to align resources and strategies to support youth, particularly in areas where civic engagement intersects with mental health and educational equity. The Fund is also continuing to emphasize story-telling and narrative work to amplify the voices of young people, educators, and communities; and provide spaces for the field and the funder community to come together.

JdeF: What would you say to other funders about the importance of investing in projects that listen to and incorporate the experiences of young people, especially when it comes to empowering the next generation?

KB: Funding projects that listen to and incorporate the ideas and experiences of young people gives funders the chance to invest in, and learn alongside, the next generation. It provides the time, space, and resources for young people to dream and imagine — often in intergenerational partnerships. This support sends a clear signal that we believe in empowering the vision of the next generation.

JdeF: Is there anything else you’d like to share about the Stuart Foundation’s commitment to youth civic empowerment or the broader impact you hope to see from this work?

KB: The Foundation’s commitment to youth civic empowerment, leadership, and voice is grounded in cultivating a lifelong sense of agency — the belief that young people can make a difference in their communities and beyond. To build this disposition, young people need an ecosystem that supports practice opportunities in civic engagement, both in and out of the classroom. We are also striving to connect a community of supporters of this renewed purpose of education that balances acquiring academic content with cultivating leadership, agency, and voice.

Renewing Investment in Democracy

The Stuart Foundation’s work is a powerful reminder that the mission of education philanthropy — and the broader work of philanthropy in democracy — is about more than any one initiative or school program. Democracy itself needs constant care, renewal, and investment, or it risks eroding over time. Just as schools were founded to educate each generation for citizenship, foundations have a vital legacy in supporting this ongoing civic mission.

For funders, the message is clear: if you’re working to strengthen democracy, your portfolio isn’t complete without a meaningful investment in youth. And when we listen to young people, their advice is clear: give us the tools, the opportunities, and the trust to lead — and remind us that our voices can shape the future.

Jen de Forest is interim vice president, YouthTruth at CEP. Find her on LinkedIn. Kathryn Bradley is director, Purpose of Education Fund at the Stuart Foundation. Find her on LinkedIn.