The Skillman Foundation

Young people are closest to our education system. They hold the insights and ideas needed for education to work for everyone. As an education-focused foundation, we strive to be a go-to for Detroit youth brilliance and a model for engaging and highlighting youth, particularly through our Youth Council, which was established in 2020.  

On this journey to listen and learn, we brought the youngest speakers to the Mackinac Policy Conference, hosted youth-led Gen-Z Design Sessions where both Youth Council members and other youth consulted with organizations on how best to engage with youth, curated opportunities for youth to speak to policymakers and others in power, welcomed youth on to our Board of Trustees, and more.  

We’ve sought to influence how Detroit youth are perceived and valued, while also trying to–you know–be the change. 

I’ve watched this evolution during my long tenure at The Skillman Foundation, but only since stepping into my role as director of strategic initiatives, which now encompassed the Youth Council, did my own deeper learning begin. I had heard about this fresh crop of young people who had recently been recruited, and I would soon be standing in front of them saying, “We don’t totally know what we’re doing, but we will figure it out together.”  

What followed was rich with strides, occasional missteps, lasting bonds, and lessons learned. There were moments of rich connection and affirmation–“Yes, this is why we do this work,” and moments of confusion and disappointment–“Oof. We tried, but we don’t have this part quite right yet”.  

Next, we listened, paused, reflected, and regrouped. The Youth Council’s feedback over the last two years has helped us evolve towards where we need to go in order to be better partners with young people in our work. To that end, I hope we can accomplish three things as you read on: 

1. Offer our learnings to other organizations that engage youth or are considering doing so. 
2. Build excitement and clarity about our redesigned Skillman Youth Council. 
3. Remind ourselves that stepping into partnerships–especially with youth–is often messy and unpredictable, but having a learning mindset really helps. 

The Learning

By the end of our most recent Youth Council cohort, we had collected extensive feedback from Youth Council members through various formats. Some key themes emerged: 

• Youth wanted more trust and relationship-building with peers, staff, and community (including organizations funded by their grantmaking). In retrospect, we were often asking them to navigate complex topics and group decisions without this. That must have been hard! 
• Youth craved a deeper grounding in Detroit’s education ecosystem, philanthropy, youth organizing and policy, and the Foundation’s role. If we want youth to engage in discussions, collaborate with peers, step into decision-making roles and use their voices for change, we need to ensure a common understanding. And what a great opportunity to get more Foundation staff, partners, and community members involved. 
• Youth highlighted the need for more intentional skill-building around youth leadership, grantmaking, and public speaking. Knowledge, skill, and experience varied across the last cohort, which impacted leadership dynamics and left some members feeling less confident to participate. Stronger training will enable more authentic youth leadership. 
• Youth helped us realize the need for greater transparency around the Council’s goals and expectations, including the role of youth in decision-making. Running a quality youth program requires careful attention beyond activities and curriculum–it must tend to relationships and power dynamics. Youth helped us realize that our Youth Council is not a youth-led program or an adult-directed program, it is a true partnership. 

The Redesign

The next iteration of the Skillman Youth Council—informed by extensive youth feedback—is a learning and leadership opportunity for Detroit high school students with an interest in education and the nonprofit sector. The two-year program is designed to expose members to the Foundation’s work and aims to equip them with knowledge and leadership skills in a professional setting. The Council operates as a youth-adult partnership, where both youth and adults engage in reciprocal learning and shared decision-making. Council members will: 

• Learn grantmaking while building their leadership skills and experience. Youth expressed a strong desire to be more strategic and intentional with grantmaking and noted the need for more robust training to effectively facilitate and guide the process. 
• Use their voice as they grow their understanding of the education ecosystem and efforts to transform it. Throughout their experience, youth expressed interest in learning more about philanthropy, education, youth organizing, policy, and how to use their voice in meetings and other public settings. 
• Gain exposure to people, organizations, and conversations that expand their awareness and connections within the education ecosystem. Youth emphasized the need for greater access to external networks, mentorship, a desire to engage with broader movements, gain visibility, and use their voice to influence policy and systems change. 
• Share insights and feedback with staff about how the Foundation engages with young people. We will always listen and learn from youth.

We also recognize that this deeper work will require more time together, which is why the full Council will be meeting monthly, in addition to committee meetings and other activities.  

Applications are currently open until April 30th for rising high school sophomores and juniors who are passionate about education justice and their community. Learn more here. 

Bringing It Home

Youth partnership can be messy and a lot of times, organizations don’t know where to start. For us, it’s been a process of listening, learning, and finding our lane. While we have a responsibility to give young people our very best, let’s not let perfectionism stop us from trying, learning the hard lessons, sharing the hard lessons, and carrying on. 

We can’t wait to see what the next Skillman Youth Council has in store for us!