Engaging Younger Individuals in the Nonprofit Sector: Strategies from Seth Maxwell of Legacy Youth Leadership
This week, your host, Matt Barnes, sat down with Seth Maxwell, the Founder and CEO of Legacy Youth Leadership. They explored the potential of young individuals to make a difference, the importance of providing opportunities for young people to develop their leadership skills, and empowering students to take action on issues they care about.
What is Legacy Youth Leadership?
Legacy Youth Leadership is a nonprofit organization founded by Seth Maxwell that works to build a socially conscious and active generation of young people. By providing free educational and activism programs, as well as leadership coaching & mentoring to young people, they equip students with the tools they need to reach their academic & philanthropic goals and to make a real impact in the world around them.
Empowering Students to Take Action
Seth emphasizes the importance of empowering students to take action on the issues they care about. Through practical initiatives, nonprofits can provide platforms for young individuals to voice their ideas, collaborate with like-minded peers, and actively contribute to social causes. By encouraging students to make an impact, nonprofits can help them realize their potential and foster a sense of purpose, as well as make use of their particular skills and perspectives.
“We've been able to create opportunities for them to participate and demonstrate the actual development of the skills that have been really important for us to see them learn. Now, students may take these skills and go on in their adult lives and start a business or start an organization or something like that, or just use it to crush and excel in their academic pursuits or their congressional pursuits. But our hope is that they will continue to try to make a better world.”
Collective Impact through Partnerships
To maximize their reach and effectiveness, Seth discusses the value of partnering with other nonprofits. By creating collaborative networks, organizations can amplify their impact and address complex social problems more comprehensively. This approach also allows young individuals to learn from diverse perspectives, build connections, and develop essential skills for future leadership roles.
“It's always helpful for us to know, especially at localized levels, if there are groups that are working to address the issues that our students are concerned about, that as students take action throughout the course of the year, we can direct them to support whether that looks like volunteering or fundraiser to help raise the visibility and awareness of those issues that those organizations support.”
Valuing Young Contributors
Seth advocates for older organizations to value and engage young individuals as valuable contributors. Recognizing that the best ideas come from diverse sources, nonprofits should create an inclusive environment where younger voices are heard and respected. By embracing the contributions of young contributors, organizations can foster a culture of innovation and encourage personal growth within their teams.
“Engage them in the same way that you would any other adult who has value to offer you—you'll never hear me use the word ‘kids’ unless I'm referring to somebody else who's talking about it.”
Want more on empowering young people?
Listen to this episode of the Nonprofit Connect podcast to hear the rest of Anthony’s insights!