Your voice belongs in the room.

Youth Action Boards (YAB) are led by young people with lived experience who are shaping real decisions about housing, homelessness and community support.

Join your local YAB

by youth. for youth. representing youth.

by youth. for youth. representing youth.

What is YAB?

Youth Action Boards are groups of young people who use their voices, ideas and lived experience to create change.

YAB members help communities understand what young people actually need, what systems are missing and how programs can do better.

This isn’t about adults speaking for youth.
This is about youth leading the conversation.

Become a YAB member

Our Mission

YABs organize to ensure that young people with lived expertise are valued as leaders and that their voices are heard.

They create pathways for young people to obtain accessible resources and affordable housing, and advocate for Alaskan communities, youth homelessness services, and safe, stable, and equitable housing for youth.

YABs are composed of folks from all backgrounds and of all identities, including Indigenous, Black, and Queer folks, most of whom have lived expertise of homelessness and housing instability.

Each member has an array of hobbies, expertise, outlooks, and perspectives that are valued and shared.

Why join?

Because your experience matters.

Whether you have experienced housing instability, homelessness, foster care, couch surfing, disconnection from school or work, or just know what young people in your community are going through, your voice can help shape better support for youth across Alaska.

YAB is a space to be heard, build skills and make an impact.

How do we help?

YAB members:

  • Share ideas and lived experience

  • Give feedback on programs and services

  • Create youth-led projects

  • Build leadership and advocacy skills

  • Help organizations make better decisions

  • Represent youth voices in their communities

Want to work with us? Let's chat!

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Who can join?

YAB is for young people ages 16–24 in Alaska who want to make a difference in their community.

If you have lived experience with homelessness, housing instability, foster care, couch surfing, system involvement or other challenges impacting youth, your voice matters here.

YAB members help shape programs, influence decisions and create real change for young people across Alaska while building leadership skills, community connections and paid experience along the way.

  • Paid opportunity

  • Youth-led

  • Regional boards across Alaska

  • Real impact in your community

You do not need to have everything figured out to join.
You just need your perspective, your voice and a willingness to show up.

Ready to help shape the future for youth in Alaska?

Apply Now!

Join YAB

Are you passionate about improving your community and helping prevent youth homelessness in Alaska?

Apply today to become a Youth Action Board (YAB) Member!

This is a paid leadership opportunity for youth ages 16–24 living in Alaska.

Pay: $30.00 per hour
Commitment: Up to 10 hours per week
Location: Statewide (Regional Boards across Alaska)

Youth Action Board members work alongside local partners to strengthen Alaska’s homelessness response system, improve youth services, and elevate youth voice in community decision-making.

This opportunity is part of the Youth Homelessness System Improvement (YHSI) grant, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and managed by the Alaska Coalition on Housing and Homelessness (AKCH2). Through YHSI, Youth Action Boards ensure that youth with lived experience are central to shaping funding, policy, and system redesign across the state.

Each Regional YAB focuses on:

  • Local priorities and community advocacy

  • Developing YAB bylaws and governance structures

  • Leading youth-led projects and systems mapping

  • Contributing to statewide data and evaluation

The goal: Build a youth-driven, sustainable system that lasts beyond the grant period.

Support Youth-Led Change in Your Community

Youth Action Boards are creating real change across Alaska, and community support helps make that possible. Whether you're a community member, organization, business, funder or sponsor, you can help ensure youth voices are heard, valued and included in decisions that shape the future. Interested in partnering, sponsoring or supporting your local YAB? We'd love to connect.

Interested in partnering, sponsoring or supporting your local YAB?

Contact us to start the conversation →

Contact Us

How you can help:

  • Invite YAB members to provide feedback, participate in planning efforts or help inform decisions that impact young people.

  • Support stipends, training, travel, meetings and youth-led projects that help young people create change in their communities.

  • Help connect more youth, organizations and community members to YAB opportunities.

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Find Your YAB

Stay Connected

Want updates on YAB projects, opportunities, events and ways to get involved?
Sign up for updates and stay connected with youth-led change happening across Alaska.