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Iowa Collaboration for Youth Development (ICYD) Council

Youth collaborating with adults on a project

Overview

The Iowa Collaboration for Youth Development (ICYD) Council is an interagency effort involving multiple state-level departments. Since 1999 the council has worked to coordinate its efforts and support positive youth development throughout Iowa.

ICYD’s structure includes

  • a formalized council membership designated by legislation;
  • a two-tier structure that includes a leadership council and a results team;
  • a strategic plan outlining goals and annual reports providing status updates;
  • youth involvement;
  • regular meetings; and
  • partnerships with national organizations, local communities, and programs.

ICYD’s best practices include the following:

  • Provide consistent representation for national opportunities and look for support from a variety of sources.
  • Develop a uniting goal to bring together the support of various agencies.
  • Generate awareness and focus on positive youth development within the state.
  • Connect state agencies to support overlapping initiatives.

Throughout its tenure, ICYD has learned the following lessons:

  • Ongoing education is essential due to turnover on council.
  • Strategic plans with lofty goals may not provide enough direction.
  • Over time the structure of the collaboration may need to be adapted.
  • We don’t have to do it all right away.

Additional key resources and information about the collaboration: ICYD Resources