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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Children & Youth, Children & Youth Services, Citizen Participation, Economic Development, Urban & Community Economic Development, Youth Development
Mission: LISTEN s mission is to strengthen the social capital and leadership of urban youth ages 14-29 for civic engagement and community problem solving. Established in October 1998, LISTEN is a response to our nation's failure to recognize and invest in an emerging generation of indigenous leaders, especially in poor urban communities of color. Through capacity building programs, LISTEN identifies, convenes, trains and supports urban youth ages to serve as assets in transforming their communities and solving urban programs. LISTEN also provides training and assistance nationally to funders, community organizations, youth workers and other groups on best practices of youth civic engagement.
Programs: LISTEN s programs strengthen youth leadership and civic engagement locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. Through partnerships with organizations started by youth leaders, LISTEN is ensuring their sustainability, creating a leadership and management curriculum for social entrepreneurs of color and developing an urban youth movement infrastructure. LISTEN offers programs that train and support youth organizing with individuals and organizations who are waging campaigns against such issues as juvenile incarceration, gentrification, the digital divide and the lack of quality public education and social services available to low-income, urban neighborhoods. LISTEN provides community-based organizations with technical assistance that helps them build their organizational capacity and meet their workforce development performance goals for out-of-school youth in the areas of leadership, parenting, and civic engagement. LISTEN conducts a bridge building/boundary crossing initiative to tackle homophobia by launching a new leadership development initiative for Black youth leaders. Through its Global Exchange Leadership Program, LISTEN develops youth activists by promoting mutual understanding and knowledge transfer between emerging leaders in the United States and the people of Johannesburg, South Africa. Finally, LISTEN convenes its national network every November during its Annual Meeting, where participants share and gather information intended to inform their policy analysis, civic engagement, and social activism.
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This organization's nonprofit status may have been revoked or it may have merged with another organization or ceased operations.