Youth Communication
Youth Communication is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1980 that mentors NYC teens to publish true personal stories, then packages those stories into CASEL-aligned SEL curricula, professional development, and digital magazines for middle and high school educators.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Youth Communication does
Youth Communication (legal entity: Youth Communication New York Center, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1980 by Keith Hefner and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. The organization runs a paid teen writing mentorship program in which NYC teens ages 15-19 (and up to 23 for those in foster care) are paired one-on-one with full-time professional editors to produce true, personal nonfiction stories published in two digital magazines, YCTeen and Represent. These stories form the content backbone for a portfolio of CASEL-aligned middle and high school social-emotional learning (SEL) curricula and a story-based professional development practice for educators. The curriculum product line includes paired Curriculum Guides and Youth Anthologies such as #trending, Between You and Me, Real As Me, Real Men 2.0, Upgrade, and Level Up, alongside workshops on culturally responsive education, grief, and transformative SEL; CTLE hours are offered to New York State educators.
The organization's revenue is derived primarily from foundation and corporate grants (New York Community Trust, Pinkerton Foundation, New York Life Foundation, Child Welfare Fund, Charles Hayden Foundation, Ira DeCamp Foundation, and others), NYC government funding (Administration for Children's Services, Department of Youth and Community Development), individual donations processed through GiveLively, an annual Spring Benefit gala, story reprint licensing fees ($400 per story for commercial publishers; $100 for small nonprofits), and undisclosed pricing for curriculum packages and professional development engagements. Distribution occurs through direct outreach to schools and youth-serving agencies, a network of 50+ partner organizations, integration into third-party ELA curricula (Actively Learn, Writers Inc./Write Source, Norton Sampler), and OverDrive's digital catalog where 21 anthologies reach 92,000+ libraries and schools in 115 countries via the Libby and Sora apps. A free, open digital living library called YC Connect was announced in 2025 to extend access to nearly 10,000 stories nationwide.
Youth Communication firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Youth Communication
- Legal name
- Youth Communication New York Center, Inc.
- Website
- https://youthcomm.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Youth Communication is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1980 that mentors NYC teens to publish true personal stories, then packages those stories into CASEL-aligned SEL curricula, professional development, and digital magazines for middle and high school educators.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Youth Communication industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Development and SEL Education
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), Child and Youth Services (62411), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Classroom-Based SEL Curriculum & Lessons (Preschool/Pre-K) (EDACAOAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Digital/Interactive SEL Apps & Media for Early Childhood (EDACAOAL), School-Based SEL Curriculum & Instructional Programs (EDAKAMAA), Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Wellbeing Digital Curriculum (EDAFACAM), Family/Parent-Focused SEL & Home Practice Programs (EDACAOAG), Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Character Development (EDAGACAC)
Keywords
Where Youth Communication is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Youth Communication business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Foundation and Corporate Grants: Funded by foundations and corporate donors including New York Community Trust, The Pinkerton Foundation, New York Life Foundation, Child Welfare Fund, The Charles Hayden Foundation, Ira DeCamp Foundation, and many others listed on the Supporters page.
- Event Fundraising (Spring Benefit): Annual Spring Benefit gala; 2025 event raised $228,642 to support youth writing programs.
- Story Reprint Licensing Fees: Standard reprint fee of $400 per story (or higher of standard rate) for commercial organizations/publishers; $100 per story for small nonprofit organizations for one-time, non-exclusive North American rights.
- SEL Curricula and Educator Training Sales: Sale of middle/high school SEL curricula packages (Curriculum Guide + Youth Anthology) and paid professional development sessions; specific price points not publicly disclosed (contact [email protected]).
- Digital Distribution via OverDrive: 21 anthologies distributed through OverDrive's digital catalog (Libby, Sora apps), reaching 92,000+ libraries and schools in 115 countries.
- Individual Donations: Online donations processed through GiveLively.org, solicited via Donate Now links and mailing list.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free for individual teachers or non-commercial single-classroom use (under 30 copies in nonprofit educational setting) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Commercial Organizations and Large Nonprofits Reprint Fee |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Small Nonprofit Organizations Reprint Fee |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | SEL Curriculum Packages and Professional Development |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels9 records
Youth Communication product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Youth Communication helps NYC teens transform lived experiences into personal narratives through a paid writing mentorship program and publishes those true stories in two digital magazines, YCTeen and Represent. The organization then packages those stories into CASEL-aligned social and emotional learning (SEL) curricula for middle and high schools and delivers paid professional development workshops that train educators to use story-based pedagogy in their classrooms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- YCteen: YCTeen is Youth Communication's flagship digital magazine featuring true, personal stories written by NYC teens, ages 15-19, covering topics such as race, identity, mental health, family, school, and social justice.
- Represent
- YC CONNECT
Products and services
- YCTeen Magazine YCteen is Youth Communication's flagship digital magazine featuring true, personal stories written by NYC teens ages 15-19, covering topics such as race, identity, mental health, family, school, and social justice; teen writers are paid $125 per published article and mentored one-on-one by full-time professional editors through multiple drafts.
- Represent Magazine Represent is Youth Communication's magazine by and for youth in foster care, publishing true personal stories written by NYC youth ages 15-23 involved in the foster care system; teen writers are paid $175 per published article and mentored by professional editors through the publication process.
- CASEL-Aligned SEL Curricula for Middle and High Schools Middle and high school social and emotional learning (SEL) curriculum packages built around true teen-written stories, each pairing a Youth Anthology with an educator Curriculum Guide; named curricula include #trending, Between You and Me, Upgrade, In Real Life, Real Talk, Real As Me, Real Men 2.0, All In, Level Up, and On My Way; pricing available upon request via [email protected].
- Story-Based Professional Development for Educators Paid workshop series for educators and youth-serving adults covering Making Room for Grief, Customized Workshops, Culturally Responsive Education, Building Blocks for Transformative SEL, and Curriculum Orientation and Follow Up Sessions; offers CTLE credit to NY State educators; pricing upon request via [email protected].
- YC Anthologies on OverDrive 21 Youth Communication anthologies available as digital ebooks via OverDrive's catalog, distributed through the Libby and Sora reading apps to 92,000+ libraries and schools in 115 countries.
- NYC Teen Writing Mentorship Program Rigorous nonfiction writing program in which NYC teens ages 15-19 (or ages 15-23 for those in or formerly in foster care) are mentored one-on-one by full-time professional editors through multiple drafts to publish true personal stories in YCTeen and Represent magazines; writers are paid $125 per YCTeen article and $175 per Represent article.
- Story Reprint Licensing Service Licensing service that grants one-time, non-exclusive North American rights to reprint YC teen-authored stories; standard fee is $400 per story for commercial organizations/publishers (or publisher's standard rate, whichever is higher) and $100 per story for small nonprofit organizations; free for individual/single-classroom use under 30 copies in nonprofit educational settings.
Quantifiable outcome
- 95% of educators report that YC programs help students develop social and emotional skills
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Youth Communication
Customer profileNamed customers32 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Youth Communication technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature4 records
Youth Communication partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship strategic partner for nyc sel work, flagship distribution partner, core partner, featured partner, distribution integration, media partner and core technology vendor.
- NYC Public Schools (NYCPS) Office of Safety and Youth Development (OSYD)flagship strategic partner for nyc sel workYC partners with NYCPS OSYD to provide professional development for the Respect for All (RFA) program. Free, CTLE-accrediting PD is offered to all NYCPS staff throughout the school year. Ongoing partnerships with NYCPS helped reach 50,000 young people across NYC in 2025.
- OverDriveflagship distribution partnerOverDrive hosts 21 YC anthologies on its digital catalog, distributed to 92,000+ libraries and schools in 115 countries via the Libby and Sora apps. OverDrive is a Certified B Corp founded in 1986 and based in Cleveland, Ohio.
- Mastery Charter Networkcore partnerFeatured partner organization using YC's story-based SEL curricula; based in Philadelphia, PA. Mastery Charter: Thomas High School is also listed among schools implementing YC programs.
- Cypress Hills Local Development Corporationfeatured partnerFeatured partner based in Brooklyn, NY, leveraging YC's programs to empower its community.
- Every Child and Family Is Knownfeatured partnerFeatured partner organization based in New York, NY.
- Horizons Nationalfeatured partnerPartner agency where YC trainers led a professional development session; YC's training was praised for ease of presentation and creating connection through authentic sharing and conversation (per Deana Darling, Senior Director, Program Support & Innovation).
- Girl Scouts of Greater NYfeatured partnerFeatured partner based in New York, NY.
- Caliber Public Schoolsfeatured partnerFeatured partner (including Caliber Beta Academy and Caliber Change Makers) based in Richmond, CA.
- Actively Learndistribution integrationYC stories are integrated into Actively Learn, a leading ELA curriculum platform, ensuring widespread adoption across the nation.
- Writers Inc./Write Sourcedistribution integrationYC stories integrated into Writers Inc./Write Source ELA curriculum for adoption in classrooms nationwide.
- Norton Samplerdistribution integrationYC stories integrated into Norton Sampler, a leading ELA curriculum/textbook.
- Chalkbeatmedia partnerChalkbeat is a media partner that reprints YC stories; cited as an example of story syndication partners.
- Youth Todaymedia partnerYouth Today is a media partner that reprints YC stories for broader distribution.
- GiveLively.orgcore technology vendorYC uses GiveLively.org for credit card donation transactions made on its website; SSL-secured.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Youth Communication competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- First Book: First Book is a nonprofit that distributes affordable, high-quality books and educational resources to programs and schools serving low-income children, comparable to YC's mission of getting culturally responsive, story-based content into under-resourced classrooms and youth-serving agencies.
- The Moth: The Moth's Education Program brings true, personal storytelling workshops and StorySLAM curricula into schools, closely comparable to Youth Communication's teen-authored storytelling model and educator-facing storytelling pedagogy.
- Facing History and Ourselves: Facing History and Ourselves provides story-driven SEL and civics curricula plus educator professional development to schools nationwide, directly comparable to YC's CASEL-aligned, story-based SEL curricula and paid PD workshops for teachers.
- National Writing Project: The National Writing Project is a nationwide network providing teacher professional development in writing instruction, directly comparable to YC's educator PD workshops, writing mentorship, and classroom-ready writing and SEL resources.
- 826 National: 826 National is a network of youth writing and tutoring centers that publishes student writing and runs in-school programs, directly comparable to Youth Communication's teen writing mentorship model and publishing of authentic student-authored stories for classroom use.
- PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs: PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs is a youth journalism program that publishes student-produced media for classroom use, comparable to YC's magazines (YCTeen and Represent) where teens author content that is then distributed to educators and used in curricula.
- Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance): Learning for Justice is a Southern Poverty Law Center program offering free, classroom-ready SEL and social justice curricula and educator resources, directly comparable to YC's story-based SEL curricula as a free or low-cost alternative targeting the same K-12 market.
Broad incumbents
- Edutopia (George Lucas Educational Foundation): Edutopia disseminates research-based K-12 teaching strategies, including SEL and project-based learning content, to a large educator audience, comparable to YC's educator-facing storytelling and SEL resources but with broader topic coverage and a much larger media footprint.
- Common Sense Media / Common Sense Education: Common Sense Education is a large, well-funded provider of free digital literacy, SEL, and citizenship curricula for K-12 schools, broadly comparable to YC as a CASEL-aligned curriculum provider but operating at significantly larger national scale with a broader content portfolio.
Emerging players
- The New York Times Learning Network: The NYT Learning Network publishes free, daily teaching resources based on real-world journalism for middle and high school classrooms, comparable to YC's model of using authentic published stories as the basis for educator-ready curricula, though it lacks YC's teen-authored content angle.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Youth Communication social profiles
Digital presenceYouth Communication financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Youth Communication leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Youth Communication funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Youth Communication M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Youth Communication
What does Youth Communication do?
Youth Communication helps NYC teens transform lived experiences into personal narratives through a paid writing mentorship program and publishes those true stories in two digital magazines, YCTeen and Represent. The organization then packages those stories into CASEL-aligned social and emotional learning (SEL) curricula for middle and high schools and delivers paid professional development workshops that train educators to use story-based pedagogy in their classrooms.
Is Youth Communication a public or private company?
Youth Communication is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Youth Communication founded?
Youth Communication was founded in 1980. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Youth Communication based?
Youth Communication is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Youth Communication make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Foundation and Corporate Grants are the primary driver. The others are event Fundraising (Spring Benefit), story Reprint Licensing Fees, SEL Curricula and Educator Training Sales, digital Distribution via OverDrive and individual Donations.
Who are Youth Communication's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are First Book, The Moth, Facing History and Ourselves, National Writing Project, 826 National, PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs and Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance). Broad incumbents are Edutopia (George Lucas Educational Foundation) and Common Sense Media / Common Sense Education. The New York Times Learning Network is listed as an emerging player.
Does Youth Communication have an API?
No public API is recorded for Youth Communication.
What industry is Youth Communication in?
Youth Communication's product category is Youth Development and SEL Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDACAOAA, Classroom-Based SEL Curriculum & Lessons (Preschool/Pre-K), with a secondary code of EDACAOAL, Digital/Interactive SEL Apps & Media for Early Childhood. Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.