Keith Hefner is the founder and Executive Director of

Youth Communication Youth Communication is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit youth media organization based in New York City that promotes youth literacy and civic engagement through youth-led media. The organization was founded in 1980 by youth rights pioneer Keith Hefner, who wo ...

, an influential

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

publishing magazines and books by and for youth. The magazines are ''YCteen'' (formerly known as New Youth Connections), written by New York City teens, and ''Represent'' (formerly known as ''Foster Care Youth United'' or ''FCYU''), by and for foster youth. He is also a founder of

Youth Liberation of Ann Arbor Youth Liberation of Ann Arbor was an organization based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It existed from 1970 to 1979, and is often cited in more recent academic literature as one of the leading forerunners of several youth movements in the United States, ...

, a

youth rights The youth rights movement (also known as youth liberation) seeks to grant the rights to young people that are traditionally reserved for adults, due to having reached a specific age or sufficient maturity. This is closely akin to the notion o ...

organization in

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

Biography

After growing up in Ann Arbor, in eleventh grade Hefner was inspired to become involved in the

youth-led media Youth-led media is any effort created, planned, implemented, and reflected upon by young people in the form of media, including websites, newspapers, television shows and publications. Movement These efforts form the basis of an international move ...

field after seeing a

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

principal censor the

school newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also repor ...

. Soon after he started a magazine for local youth activists called ''FPS''. From 1971–1979 Hefner ran Youth Liberation, a youth-led organization that became a national publisher for the youth rights movement. Youth Liberation Press published several of his publications, including ''How to Start a High School Underground Newspaper'', ''Students and Youth Organizing'', and other books about youth rights. In 1979 Hefner moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, and after gaining inspiration from a new youth-driven newspaper in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, founded

Recognition

Hefner has received a great deal of recognition for his work in the fields of

youth development Positive youth development (PYD) programs are designed to optimize youth developmental progress. ''Youth.gov'' states that "PYD is an intentional, prosocial approach that engages youth within their communities, schools, organizations, peer groups, ...

foster care Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home ( residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family ...

and

. He won a

MacArthur Fellowship The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and commonly but unofficially known as the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to between 20 and 30 indi ...

in 1989. In 1986 he was a Charles H. Revson Fellow on the Future of New York City at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. In 1997 he received the Luther P. Jackson Award for Educational Excellence from the New York Association of Black Journalists.(nd
Youth Communications Staff
YouthComm.Org website. Retrieved May 8, 2007.

References

Living people American nonprofit executives Children's rights activists Youth rights people American activists People from Ann Arbor, Michigan History of youth MacArthur Fellows Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-activist-stub

Biography

Recognition

See also

References