Young staff, typically ages 18–25, are the backbone of youth-serving organizations. They are the group leaders, mentors, culture-bearers and near-peer role models who most closely reflect the identities and lived experiences of the youth they serve. They are often the team members who spend the most hours directly with young people and who model the very skills and competencies we hope to instill in young participants.
Because young staff carry so much of the work, the question becomes:
Are we supporting them with the same intention we give to the youth they serve?
Most youth-serving organizations proudly commit to supporting all young people in their communities. But too often, that support is assumed to end the moment youth “age out” of programming — precisely when they are navigating some of the most consequential transitions in their lives. The irony is that many organizations don’t actually let go. They hire these same young people, often giving them their first job. And what we’re discovering is that these jobs aren’t just stopgap employment. They are often launching points, shaping young people’s sense of purpose, confidence, critical thinking and readiness for work and life.
If youth-serving organizations are engines of community development, then employing young adults from the communities they serve is one of their most powerful — yet most overlooked — strategies. Despite the vital role of young staff, we know surprisingly little about how these early-career experiences shape their own development, which workplace practices help them thrive and how organizations can structure first jobs to launch young adults into successful futures.
Measuring and understanding what helps young staff thrive
To understand what it takes for young staff to thrive on the job and beyond, Hello Insight, along with ten young researchers ages 18 to 25, is developing and validating a new measurement tool. The tool assesses the experiences and conditions that promote growth in young staff, drawing on established research and insights from youth participation.
[Related: A restorative approach to professional development for youth workers]
Early versions of the tool highlight key drivers, including supervisory support, mentorship, authentic engagement, reflection and peer connection. Once validated, it will be scaled through Hello Insight, a national learning and evaluation platform trusted by more than 6,000 youth programs and 500,000 young people nationwide.
Ultimately, this work aims to shift how we view youth employment in the nonprofit and community sectors: not as a temporary workforce solution but as a powerful developmental opportunity. Done well, these roles prepare the next generation of educators, coaches and community leaders to thrive — at work and in life.
Experiences that support young staff to thrive
Courtesy of Kim Sabo Flores
Kim Sabo Flores
Young staff in youth-serving organizations that provide strong positive youth development (PYD) experiences build foundational capacities for thriving in adulthood — such as adaptability, collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity. These are the building blocks of long-term success and they are being actively cultivated in youth-serving workplaces when organizational culture supports growth.
In this way, youth-serving organizations have the potential to serve not only as employers but as launchpads into adulthood — whether young staff remain in the sector or move on to new paths. Our findings point to several key experiences that drive this growth.
1. Mentorship works best when it extends beyond supervision
Young staff consistently described mentorship as foundational to their development — but not in narrow, supervisory terms. Support often came from peers and other adults across the organization, not just direct supervisors. These relationships were rarely formalized; instead, they were embedded in a culture of “paying it forward.”
Mentorship was not only emotional — it was deeply practical. More than 75% of young staff received instrumental support, including help setting goals (83%), exploring education and career options (88%) and preparing applications or interviews (94%). For many, these organizations were the first places they built instrumental social capital: trusted relationships that clarify goals and open pathways forward.
2. Peer relationships are not “nice to have” — They are essential
Both qualitative and quantitative data indicate that peer connection is a critical driver of satisfaction, motivation and retention. Young staff described friendships and teamwork as sources of belonging, purpose and joy — making work feel meaningful rather than transactional.
These peer relationships foster trust, collaboration and emotional safety — conditions that allow young staff to take risks, ask for help and stay engaged.
“Friendships made work feel like more than a job — it felt like being part of something bigger.”
3. Caring supervision and shared power build confidence and commitment
Supervision mattered deeply — but only when paired with trust and a growth orientation. Young staff thrived when supervisors combined care with consistent feedback and trusted them with real responsibility. Feeling heard, respected and involved in decision-making strengthened confidence, autonomy and a sense of ownership.
“It feels like you don’t have a hand on your back pushing you, but you do have training wheels — if you need help, they’re there.”
4. Growth happens when reflection, challenge and care are structured
Young staff members grew the most when organizations intentionally created space for learning — not just through experience, but also through reflection and support. Reflection helped young staff connect experience to growth, normalize mistakes and build self-awareness.
At the same time, well-being was sustained not only through caring relationships but through structures that protect rest, reflection and connection.
“To be in a structure where I’m given feedback every week — and also able to give others feedback — was really important to me.”
Conclusion
Working in a youth-serving organization is not just a first job — it has the potential to be a powerful developmental pathway. When young staff are surrounded by caring adults, trusted with meaningful responsibility, invited to lead, encouraged to reflect and supported by strong peer networks, they develop the capacities that define thriving in adulthood: confidence, adaptability, collaboration, creativity and purpose.
These types of workplaces serve as living laboratories for positive development, where relationships, reflection, shared power and mentorship foster an environment that enables emerging professionals to grow into capable and compassionate leaders.
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This piece is the latest in the Thriving Youth Need a Thriving Workforce Series. Previous pieces:
A restorative approach to professional development for youth workers
College students can help close the gap between demand and availability for afterschool programs
From turnover to graduation: Rethinking staff retention | Investing in the OST workforce: Dreaming big and starting small
Kim Sabo Flores, PhD, is the founder of Hello Insight and a national leader in youth-focused evaluation, helping thousands of programs worldwide turn culturally responsive data into meaningful learning and growth for young people.
