Changing Systems 2017: Youth Homelessness

In June 2017, 22 high school students and four college mentors convened at the Brown School of Social Work with a desire to make an impact on youth homelessness in the St. Louis region. Led by a cohort of high school fellows, participants spent four days investigating the feedback loops related to youth homelessness, designing solutions informed by a systems approach, and presenting calls to action to community stakeholders. High School Fellows spent the month of June co-designing and preparing for Changing Systems Youth Summit, with a specific focus on incorporating elements of group model building, computer simulation, social media, and service learning into the design. Summit participants developed Causal Loop Diagrams informed by their lived experiences with youth homelessness and the perspectives of guest speakers from Covenant House Missouri, Epworth Children and Family Services, St. Louis College Prep, and the Brown School of Social Work. Youth Calls to Action included ideas related to reducing family conflict, increasing access to services by expanding the formal definition of homelessness, supporting access to jobs and transportation for youth, and spreading awareness that homelessness does not have one stereotypical image or identity.