Building Youth Resiliency and Aspirations During a Crisis: Lessons Learned from Maine’s Aspirations Incubator During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The Emanuel & Pauline A. Lerner Foundation’s Aspirations Incubator (AI) is a six-year pilot initiative invested in strategic capacity building for youth development organizations in rural Maine. The AI programs were halfway through the pilot when COVID-19 disrupted programming. Yet, AI programs remained connected with students throughout the transition to remote learning and COVID-19 quarantine. This paper highlights the innovative responses undertaken by the AI programs and shares critical aspects of the AI model that made these responses successful.