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4. Focus on Active Learning

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6. Practice Culturally Appropriate Mentoring

5. Be Authentic and Transparent

Authenticity and transparency build credibility. Opportunity Youth value honesty—especially when they’ve experienced broken promises or unclear expectations. This play encourages organizations to be upfront about what they can and cannot offer, to use clear language, and to communicate honestly and empathetically.

Jump to: Takeaways

Who is this play for?

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Organizational Leaders

Direct-support Staff

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Marketing and communication Staff

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Young Adult Employers

Why this
matters:

Transparency reduces mistrust.

Clear communication prevents misunderstandings and frustration.

Clarity supports retention.

Participants are more likely to stay involved when they know what to expect.

Authenticity humanizes organizations.

People respond better to real voices than to marketing language.

Consistency creates a reliable reputation.

Aligned communication across platforms builds confidence.

Honesty builds credibility.

Admitting limitations strengthens trust rather than weakening it.

Myths about being
authentic and transparent

MYTH

Being authentic means acting and talking like a young adult

REALITY

Trying to “sound cool” is the opposite of authentic. Authentic means human, respectful, and plainspoken—no jargon, no talking down, no corporate spin. It’s professionalism without distance.

MYTH

Transparency means oversharing

REALITY

Transparency means sharing the right information at the right time so participants can make informed choices—especially what the program can/can’t do, what it costs, what outcomes are realistic, and what the next step is.

MYTH

We’re transparent because info is somewhere on our website.

REALITY

If details differ across platforms (website vs. social ads) or aren’t mobile-friendly, people experience it as untrustworthy or too hard to use—so transparency includes consistency and readability.

MYTH

Authenticity means staff need to share personal details or have no boundaries

REALITY

Authenticity is about reliable follow-through: do what you said you’d do, communicate changes early, and avoid judgment (“meet us where we are without judging us first”).

MYTH

It’s easy to be authentic and transparent

REALITY

This isn’t something you “just do.” It takes practice. And people often develop survival mechanisms that can make it really difficult to be authentic or transparent under pressure. This applies to everyone, including staff and participants. Everyone will make mistakes, and everyone can learn through practice.

Put it into action

Make everything— especially eligibility, expectations, and next steps—crystal clear

OY can become reluctant to try again after being told they don’t qualify late in the process; reduce that by clarifying requirements early and removing “requirements” you don’t actually use.

Likewise, no one should ever have to guess about what will happen next. No matter what the situation is, everyone should leave knowing what needs to be done. That could be a clear understanding of an assignment or agreement about the next steps everyone will take to address a challenge. Next steps should be communicated in writing--even if it's just a text message.

Avoid jargon

Using plain language is critical. Avoiding jargon can be hard, especially because we don’t always realize when we are using it. Remember that many people who are coming to your program won’t be familiar with language that you use.

“Opportunity Youth” is an example of this: it’s a term that many people who fall into the category are not familiar with. Including it without an explanation or using it too often in direct communications to OY is an example of using jargon.

Run your text through tools like Hemingway to make sure that you are communicating in plain language.

Communicate early when things change—and explain why

Schedules shift, funding pauses, staff turnover. The fastest way to lose trust is silence. Share changes as soon as you know them, own the impact, and give the revised next steps. Framing matters: “Here’s the change, here’s why, here’s your option A/B, and here’s who to contact.”

To make this muscle memory, draft “change templates” in advance with space for the reason, timeline, and supports. Deliver updates in participants’ preferred channels (SMS, email, DM) using tools like Remind (https://www.remind.com/) or GroupMe (https://groupme.com/), and keep the website current to avoid mixed messages.

Normalize acknowledging and apologizing after mistakes

We’re all going to make mistakes, what builds real trust and authenticity is how we handle what comes next.

OY are not always used to seeing people in power acknowledging mistakes. Normalizing mistakes as learning opportunities requires everyone to recognize when they occur and discuss them.

One thing that can really help this process is teaching everyone a framework for making a meaningful apology. We suggest using the 3 A’s method: Acknowledgement of what happened, Acceptance of responsibility, and Amends saying what will be changed in the future. Here’s more on the topic.

Make communication two-way by default

Transparency isn’t a broadcast; it’s a dialogue. Ask every participant for their preferred channel, language, and notification frequency. Invite questions in every message (“Reply ‘1’ for a call, ‘2’ for a text, or ‘3’ for more information"). Then respond promptly—speed signals respect as much as content does.

Build quick “office hours” (virtual or in-person) where participants can drop in to ask questions, especially during application windows or transitions. Track FAQs in a living doc and update your update your website or intake materials” or intake script so the answers are easy to find later.

Close the loop to show you are listening

It’s not enough to just do something and expect participants to notice. Take the time to point out issues, especially when you are following through on something you were asked to do or incorporating participant feedback.

Likewise, calling out times when participants have followed through on your requests helps demonstrate that you see they are being transparent and authentic with you, too.

Align staff and materials around a single source of truth.

Confusion often comes from internal misalignment, not external complexity. Use one “single source” document for dates, eligibility, benefits, and contacts. Review it weekly in stand-ups; require any flyer or post to match that source. Archive outdated materials quickly.

Add spot audits: call your own front desk with a scripted question; check that a new Instagram post matches the website; walk through the intake process on a phone. These small checks protect trust and catch drift before participants do.

Watch out for “marketing” and “toxic positivity”

Youth spot hype and hedging quickly. Don’t overpromise or make things sound too easy. Write the way you speak, use examples, and acknowledge tradeoffs (“Evening cohort offers paid stipend; the morning cohort moves faster but is unpaid”). This builds credibility and lowers the temperature around tough decisions.

One critical thing to watch out for is “toxic positivity,” trying to maintain a “happy and optimistic” tone at all times, and especially when things are challenging. Toxic positivity, while often well-intended, tends to negate what people are feeling and the reality of difficult situations.

Everyone needs to practice authenticity and transparency

Everything we’ve highlighted is also essential for participants to work on too. Staff also need to be aware that, because authenticity and transparency are skills, participants will likely need support in learning and practicing them.

Investing time in that process helps build safe spaces and is a critical part of being trauma-informed.

Takeaways:

Authenticity and transparency are critical to helping OY rebuild trust.
Being authentic and transparent is a practice that requires daily effort.
Being authentic and transparent doesn’t mean sounding “cool” or oversharing. It means communicating in clear ways, acknowledging mistakes, taking time to explain the 'why’s' behind decisions, and demonstrating follow-through.
Programs need to be clear about expectations and always make sure that everyone understands all next steps.
Everyone needs to work on these skills. That starts with staff modeling appropriate behaviors (e.g., recognizing mistakes and apologizing) for participants and acknowledging participants' progress in practicing those behaviors.

What's next

Next Play

6. Practice Culturally Appropriate Mentoring

5. Be Authentic and Transparent

Who is this play for?

Why this matters:

Myths about being authentic and transparent

Being authentic means acting and talking like a young adult

Transparency means oversharing

We’re transparent because info is somewhere on our website.

Authenticity means staff need to share personal details or have no boundaries

It’s easy to be authentic and transparent

Put it into action

Everyone needs to practice authenticity and transparency

Takeaways:

What's next

THE OPPORTUNITY PLAYBOOK

Why this
matters:

Myths about being
authentic and transparent