When it comes to expanding opportunity, businesses and young adults are not the sources of the problem - they are a substantial part of the solution.

Year Up for me is a year in which the young adults that we serve have an opportunity to move up in their lives and gain the access and opportunity they need to realize their potential.

The Opportunity Divide doesn't just keep our students disconnected from the mainstream economy; it prevents our businesses from growing.

You have, unfortunately, a K-12 educational system where the requirements to graduate are not the requirements to be college and career-ready. So if you want young adults who are college and career-ready, our K-12 system right now does not have that as its standard.

Businesses are no longer receiving the cost savings from outsourcing that they once did.

As we say at Year Up all the time, investing in our young people is not just a matter of economic justice. It's good business sense.