A wellspring for fresh ideas and experiential learning, a link to new partners, and a catalyst for positive change in the way youth development takes place - our network of youth and adult staff and partners foster and strengthen the best thinking and practice in the field.

The Innovation Center seeks, tests and promotes innovative concepts and practices, providing cutting edge tools for youth workers in diverse settings.

Structure

The Innovation Center, through the work of At the Table and its other projects, has been recognized as a leader in organizational development. Our core, permanent staff members work with individual and organizational partners on every project that bears our name. Boundaries are deliberately indistinct-we want ideas and concepts from one project to spill over and become central to the execution of another. We don't want just to "own" our work; our chief aim is to share our experiences and knowledge with all youth workers and young leaders.

AtTheTable.org and the larger At the Table initiative are distinct examples of how we are working with a growing group of partners to accomplish together what we never could alone.

Focal Points

We strive to help youth workers and young leaders find, experience, create, and understand the newest and best thinking in the youth development field. Through initiatives focused on specific areas of inquiry, our work pairs youth development with each of several areas:

• Youth Governance and Involvement
   
• Youth Development and Community Development
   
• Organizational Development
   
• Youth Development and Civic Activism
   
• Technology as a Tool
   
• Evaluation Quality
   
• Training and Technical Assistance