Agency Is the Multiplier Youth Need

Why practice matters—and how to build it every day

Young people today grow up in highly structured environments.

From schedules and assignments to practices, programs, and expectations, many decisions are planned for them rather than by them. This structure provides safety, support, and consistency—but it also limits how often young people get to practice ownership.

At the same time, the expectations of adulthood are very different.

High-performing professionals are estimated to make tens of thousands of decisions each day—from prioritizing work and managing relationships to solving problems, exercising judgment, and leading others. While many of these decisions are small, together they shape performance, impact, and growth.

By contrast, most young people make hundreds of decisions per day, many of them low-stakes and guided closely by adults.

That gap matters.

Why the Decision Gap Exists—and Why It’s Understandable

This isn’t a critique of schools or youth programs. Structure is necessary. Guidance is essential.

But when young people have limited opportunities to make meaningful decisions—ones that affect outcomes they care about—it becomes harder to suddenly expect confidence, initiative, and independence later.

Agency isn’t automatic.
It’s built through repeated experience.

Agency Is the Accelerator

When young people experience agency—when they see a clear connection between their actions and meaningful outcomes—something shifts quickly.

Belief grows: “What I do matters.”
Confidence follows: “I can handle challenges.”
Ownership emerges: “This is mine to shape.”

That mindset doesn’t stay confined to one setting.

It shows up in friendships, sports, hobbies, and creative pursuits.
It carries into academics and community involvement.
It creates momentum that compounds over time.

Agency becomes a multiplier.

Where Agency Can Be Built—Across Learning Environments

Agency doesn’t require abandoning structure or standards. It can be intentionally developed within schools, after-school programs, and community spaces through thoughtful design.

Some practical, accessible ways to build agency include:

• Create real choices
  Offer options in topics, roles, or approaches—not just answers.

• Shift from directing to coaching
  Ask reflective questions instead of providing immediate solutions.

• Use real-world relevance
  Anchor learning in problems youth recognize and care about.

• Make reflection routine
  Help youth connect effort to outcomes: What worked? What didn’t? Why?

• Normalize growth through effort
  Treat mistakes as part of learning, not something to avoid.

These small shifts help young people practice decision-making in ways that build confidence over time.

Why This Matters Now

In a world shaped by rapid change, automation, and uncertainty, success depends less on following instructions and more on judgment, adaptability, collaboration, and initiative.

Those skills don’t appear at graduation.

They’re practiced—one decision, one experience, one moment of ownership at a time.

When young people consistently experience the connection between their actions and outcomes they care about, they don’t just perform better in the moment.

They build the confidence to navigate whatever comes next.

Agency unlocks momentum—and momentum changes lives.

Want to Go Deeper?

Curious how real-world, agency-building experiences can fit into what you already do?

Founders Mark partners with schools, out-of-school-time programs, and community organizations to design project-based experiences that help young people practice decision-making, ownership, and problem-solving—without adding unnecessary burden to staff.

👉 Learn more or schedule a short demo:
https://calendly.com/kendall-5kw/founders-mark-demo