What YAAB Meetings Actually Are (and Why They're Different)

If you’ve ever sat in a service-provider meeting and felt like you were being talked at instead of talked with, YAAB meetings will feel immediately different. The Youth Action Board of Tennessee was built on a simple premise: the people closest to a problem are closest to its solution. Monthly meetings are where that premise comes to life.

Peer-Led, Not Professional-Led

Most meetings about youth homelessness are about young people — YAAB meetings are run by young people. Every agenda, every discussion topic, and every recommendation that comes out of a YAAB gathering is shaped by members who have lived experience of housing instability. That’s not a detail — it’s the whole point.

When you walk into a YAAB meeting, you’re not a client or a case number. You’re a peer advisor with something real to contribute. Facilitators are fellow young adults, typically between 17 and 25, who have been trained in meeting facilitation, public speaking, and policy advocacy.

What Happens in a Typical Monthly Meeting

Monthly meetings usually run 60 to 90 minutes and follow a consistent structure so new members feel oriented fast:

• Check-in circle — a quick round where everyone shares how they’re doing (optional, never forced)
• Policy or program update — a brief on what’s happening in Tennessee’s Continuum of Care or state legislature
• Working session — members give input on a specific issue, resource gap, or advocacy campaign
• Resource share — members and staff flag housing, employment, or education opportunities in the region
• Upcoming events and action items — what’s next and who’s doing what

Some regions also include a meal, transportation support, or a stipend for participation — ask your local YAAB coordinator about what’s available in your area.

Who Can Come

YAAB meetings are open to young adults ages 17 to 25 across Tennessee who have experienced or are currently experiencing homelessness, housing instability, or time in foster care. You do not need to be a current YAAB member to attend your first meeting — showing up is how you become a member. Allies, case managers, and service providers may attend certain events in a support capacity, but the floor always belongs to young adults.

The 8 Tennessee Regions and Where Their YAABs Meet

Tennessee’s Continuum of Care system is divided into eight distinct regions, and each one has its own local YAAB chapter. That means wherever you are in the state — from Memphis in the west to the Tri-Cities in the northeast — there is a group of young adults meeting regularly who understand your region’s specific housing landscape, resources, and challenges.

Memphis/Shelby County — TN-500

The Memphis YAAB (TN-500) serves one of Tennessee’s largest urban Continuum of Care regions. Monthly meetings are typically held in the Memphis metro area and draw young adults from across Shelby County. This region has a strong connection to local shelters, rapid rehousing programs, and workforce development partners. Learn more about the Memphis/Shelby YAAB (TN-500) and find contact information for the regional coordinator.

Nashville/Davidson and Middle Tennessee Regions

Nashville is home to TN-501 (Nashville/Davidson CoC), one of the most active YAAB chapters in the state. Meetings rotate between community centers and partner agency spaces in Davidson County. TN-502 covers the balance of Middle Tennessee counties outside Davidson. Both regions connect members to Nashville’s robust network of youth-serving organizations, including rapid rehousing, transitional housing, and GED programs.

• Nashville/Davidson YAAB — TN-501
• Middle Tennessee Balance of State — TN-502

Knoxville, Chattanooga, Jackson, Upper Cumberland, and Northeast TN

Tennessee’s remaining five Continuum of Care regions each have their own YAAB chapter:

• TN-503 (Knoxville/Knox County) — meets in the Knoxville metro, strong ties to University of Tennessee area resources
• TN-504 (Chattanooga/Hamilton County) — active chapter with connections to Hamilton County’s CoC and workforce programs
• TN-506 (Upper Cumberland) — serves a large rural footprint; meetings may be hybrid to accommodate travel distances
• TN-507 (Northeast Tennessee) — covers the Tri-Cities area and surrounding counties
• TN-509 (Jackson/West Tennessee) — serves Jackson and the surrounding West TN counties

Visit the full local YAABs directory to find your region’s page, coordinator contact, and next meeting date.

How to Find the Next Meeting Near You

You shouldn’t have to work hard to find out when and where YAAB meets. Here’s the straightforward path from ‘I want to get involved’ to ‘I’m in the room.’

Using the YAAB Events Calendar

The fastest way to find an upcoming meeting is the YAAB Tennessee events calendar. It lists monthly meetings, regional networking events, advocacy days, and training workshops across all eight CoC regions. You can filter by region or event type. Each listing includes the date, time, location (or virtual link), and a contact for questions. The calendar is updated regularly, so bookmark it and check back monthly.

Reaching Out to Your Regional Coordinator

If you’re not sure which region you’re in, or if the calendar doesn’t show an upcoming event near you, the next step is to reach out directly. Each local YAAB page lists a regional coordinator or point of contact. They can tell you when the next meeting is, whether transportation or meal support is available, and what to expect if it’s your first time. You can also use the YAAB contact page to send a general inquiry and get routed to the right person.

Virtual and Hybrid Meeting Options

Tennessee is a large state, and not every young adult can easily travel to an in-person meeting — especially in rural regions like Upper Cumberland or Northeast Tennessee. Many YAAB chapters offer hybrid or fully virtual meeting options via Zoom or Google Meet. If transportation is a barrier, say so when you reach out. YAAB coordinators are used to problem-solving access issues and want to help you participate, not gatekeep you from the table.

Types of Events Beyond the Monthly Meeting

Monthly meetings are the backbone of YAAB, but they’re far from the only way to plug in. The YAAB calendar includes a range of events designed to meet young adults where they are — whether you want to build friendships, sharpen your advocacy skills, or stand in front of a legislator and make your voice heard.

Regional Networking Mixers

Several YAAB regions host quarterly networking mixers that are more casual than a formal monthly meeting. These events are designed for young adults to connect with each other, meet local service providers in a low-pressure setting, and learn about opportunities in housing, employment, and education. Food is usually provided. No agenda, no policy deep-dives — just real connections with people who get it.

Advocacy and Lobby Days

Once or twice a year, YAAB members from across Tennessee converge on Nashville for statewide advocacy days at the Tennessee General Assembly. Members meet with legislators, share their personal stories (only if they choose to), and advocate for specific policy changes affecting transition-age youth. Participation is fully supported — YAAB typically covers travel, lodging, and meals for members who attend. These events are listed on the calendar well in advance so you can plan.

Training Workshops and Leadership Development

YAAB invests in its members’ skills, not just their advocacy. Throughout the year, training workshops cover topics like:

• Public speaking and testimony — how to share your story effectively with policymakers
• Meeting facilitation — how to run a productive, inclusive meeting
• Financial literacy — budgeting, banking, and building credit as a young adult
• Know your rights — tenant rights, employment rights, and navigating systems as a young adult in Tennessee

These workshops are often open to any young adult in the region, not just current YAAB members. Check the events calendar for upcoming training dates.

What You Can Expect as a First-Time Attendee

Showing up somewhere new — especially when you’re not sure what to expect — takes courage. Here’s exactly what the first-time experience looks like so you can walk in feeling ready.

No Pressure, No Prerequisites

First-time attendees are welcomed, not quizzed. You don’t need to have a polished story, a resume, or any prior advocacy experience. You don’t need to share anything personal if you’re not ready. The only thing you need to bring is yourself. Many current YAAB leaders showed up to their first meeting not knowing anyone — and found a community they didn’t know they needed.

What to Bring and What to Expect Logistically

For most in-person meetings, it helps to bring:

• A valid ID if you have one (some partner venues require it for entry, but YAAB itself does not require ID to participate)
• A notebook or your phone for taking notes
• Any questions you have about housing, employment, or local resources — someone in the room has probably navigated the same thing

Meetings are typically held in accessible community spaces — libraries, community centers, or partner agency offices. If you have a disability or access need, let the coordinator know in advance and they will do their best to accommodate you.

Stipends and Incentives for Participation

YAAB recognizes that your time has real value. Many regional chapters offer participation stipends — typically gift cards or small cash payments — for members who attend meetings consistently and contribute to working sessions. Stipend amounts and availability vary by region and funding cycle, so ask your coordinator directly. Some regions also provide bus passes, rideshare credits, or meal reimbursement to remove transportation and food barriers to attendance.

How YAAB Meetings Connect to Real Policy Change

It’s easy to be skeptical that attending a meeting will actually change anything. Here’s the concrete chain of impact that runs from a YAAB monthly meeting all the way to state and federal policy decisions.

From Meeting Room to Continuum of Care Table

Tennessee’s Continuum of Care regions are required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to include youth voice in their planning processes. YAAB members fulfill that requirement — but they do far more than check a compliance box. Regional YAAB representatives attend CoC board meetings, participate in Point-in-Time counts, and provide formal input on how federal homeless assistance funds are allocated in their region. That input directly shapes which programs get funded and which gaps get addressed.

State-Level Advocacy and Legislative Impact

At the state level, YAAB members have testified before Tennessee legislative committees, contributed to state plans addressing youth homelessness, and partnered with agencies like the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS) and the Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) to improve policies for transition-age youth. These aren’t hypothetical outcomes — they are documented results of young people showing up, speaking up, and being taken seriously. Learn more about YAAB’s ongoing advocacy work on the YAAB advocacy page.

Your Voice Has a Paper Trail

One of the most empowering things about YAAB is that the input members give in meetings doesn’t disappear into a suggestion box. It gets documented, reported to CoC leadership, and cited in formal planning documents. When you share what’s working, what isn’t, and what young adults in your region actually need, that feedback becomes part of the official record that funders and policymakers use to make decisions. Your words matter — and they are preserved.

Networking Events: Building Connections That Open Doors

Networking can sound like a corporate buzzword, but at its core it just means building relationships with people who can help you and who you can help in return. YAAB events create that kind of genuine, mutual connection — and the doors they open are real.

Peer Connections That Last

One of the most underrated benefits of YAAB networking events is the peer network you build. Young adults who have navigated housing instability, foster care, or homelessness often have practical knowledge that no service provider can offer — they know which shelters are actually safe, which landlords work with young adults without rental history, which employers in the area are genuinely second-chance friendly. That knowledge lives in the room at every YAAB event, and it’s freely shared.

Connections to Service Providers and Employers

YAAB networking events frequently include invited guests from the local housing, employment, and education ecosystem. You might meet a rapid rehousing case manager who has openings, a workforce development coordinator running a paid training program, or a community college advisor who can walk you through enrollment and financial aid. These are warm introductions — not cold calls — because the service providers who show up at YAAB events have already committed to working respectfully with young adults who have lived experience.

Building a Professional Resume Through YAAB

Participation in YAAB is genuinely resume-worthy. Members gain documented experience in:

• Community organizing and peer outreach
• Public policy research and analysis
• Formal testimony and public speaking
• Meeting facilitation and group leadership
• Data collection (Point-in-Time count participation)

Several YAAB alumni have gone on to careers in social work, public policy, nonprofit management, and community health — and they credit YAAB as the place where they first discovered those paths were open to them.

A Look at Meeting Frequency and Participation Across Tennessee

Understanding the rhythm of YAAB activity across Tennessee helps you set realistic expectations and plan your involvement. Here’s a snapshot of how meeting frequency and participation look statewide.

How Often Each Region Meets

Most YAAB regional chapters hold at least one formal monthly meeting plus one or more additional touchpoints — a networking event, a working group session, or a virtual check-in — each month. That adds up to roughly 12 to 24 organized gatherings per region per year, not counting statewide events like advocacy days or annual convenings. For young adults who want consistent community and consistent skill-building, that cadence provides real structure.

Participation Trends and What They Mean

Across Tennessee’s eight CoC regions, YAAB chapters collectively engage hundreds of transition-age youth annually. Regions with the most active chapters — typically Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville — tend to have the most robust support infrastructure: more stipend funding, more partner organizations, and more frequent events. Smaller or more rural regions like Upper Cumberland and Northeast Tennessee are growing their membership and increasingly using hybrid formats to reach young adults across wide geographic areas.

YAAB Event Types at a Glance: What to Expect from Each

Not all YAAB events are the same. Use this table to find the format that fits where you are right now — whether you're brand new, looking to build skills, or ready to take your advocacy statewide.

How to Join YAAB and Make It Official

Attending a meeting is the first step. Making it official — becoming a recognized YAAB member with access to stipends, leadership opportunities, and formal advisory roles — is the next one. Here’s how that works.

The Simple Path to Membership

Becoming a YAAB member is not a complicated application process. The basic path is: attend a meeting or event, connect with the regional coordinator, and express your interest in being an active member. Most regions have a brief onboarding process — sometimes just a short conversation about your interests and availability — and then you’re in. There’s no fee, no waiting list, and no minimum credential required beyond being between 17 and 25 with lived experience of housing instability.

What Active Membership Looks Like

Active members are generally expected to:

• Attend monthly meetings consistently (most regions define ‘consistent’ as attending at least 2 out of 3 meetings per quarter)
• Participate in at least one working group or advocacy activity per year
• Communicate with their coordinator if they need to miss a meeting

That’s it. YAAB is designed to flex around the realities of young adults’ lives — work schedules, housing transitions, mental health needs. If you need to step back temporarily, you can step back in. There’s no penalty for life happening.

Ready to Join? Start Here

The official join page walks you through the process and connects you with your regional chapter. Visit yaabtn.org/join to get started. If you have questions before you commit, the About YAAB page gives a full overview of the organization’s mission, structure, and what membership means in practice.

Resources You Can Access Through YAAB Events

YAAB meetings and events are not just about policy — they’re a practical access point to real resources. Here’s a snapshot of what young adults commonly learn about or connect to through their regional YAAB gatherings.

Housing and Shelter Connections

YAAB meetings are not case management sessions, but they are frequently a gateway to housing resources. Members and coordinators regularly share information about:

• Open beds in transitional housing programs across Tennessee
• Rapid rehousing programs with current availability
• Rental assistance funds specific to transition-age youth
• Tenant rights clinics and legal aid resources

Because YAAB is embedded in the Continuum of Care system, coordinators often have up-to-date information about what’s actually available — not just what’s listed on a website that hasn’t been updated in six months.

Education and Employment Opportunities

Events regularly surface opportunities in education and workforce development, including:

• GED and HiSET preparation programs with free or low-cost enrollment
• Community college enrollment support and FAFSA assistance
• Paid job training and apprenticeship programs
• Employers actively recruiting young adults with non-traditional backgrounds

The YAAB resources page maintains a curated list of statewide and regional resources that is updated regularly — use it between events to keep building your options.

Mental Health and Peer Support

Housing instability takes a toll on mental health, and YAAB doesn’t pretend otherwise. Many events include a check-in component, and coordinators are trained to connect members with mental health resources when needed. Some regions partner with community mental health centers that offer free or sliding-scale services specifically for transition-age youth. Peer support — the kind that comes from being in a room with people who have been through similar experiences — is itself a documented form of mental health support, and it’s built into every YAAB gathering.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Every YAAB Event

Showing up is the most important step — but a few simple habits can turn a good experience into a great one. Here are the practices that YAAB’s most engaged members have in common.

Come with a Question or a Goal

The young adults who get the most out of YAAB events are the ones who show up with something specific in mind — a question they want answered, a connection they want to make, or a topic they want to learn more about. You don’t need to share it publicly, but having that internal anchor keeps you engaged and helps you recognize when an opportunity is right in front of you.

Follow Up After the Meeting

The real value of a networking event often shows up in the 48 hours after it ends. If someone mentioned a housing program that sounded relevant, look it up that night. If you connected with another young adult who’s been through something similar, send them a message. If a service provider gave you their card, email them the next day. YAAB coordinators are also available between meetings — don’t wait until next month to ask a question you have today.

Bring a Friend

YAAB grows through word of mouth more than any other channel. If you know another young adult in Tennessee who is navigating housing instability or aging out of foster care, invite them to the next meeting. You don’t need to pitch it formally — just say ‘there’s a group of people who have been through similar stuff and they meet every month, want to come with me?’ That’s often all it takes. The more young adults in the room, the stronger the collective voice.

Ready to Show Up? Here's Your Next Move

You’ve read this far, which means something about YAAB resonates with you. Here’s the simplest possible path from reading to doing — because the table needs your voice at it, and Tennessee’s policies need to be shaped by people who actually know what young adults in this state are living through.

Find Your Region and Your People

Tennessee is a big state, but your local YAAB chapter is closer than you might think. Whether you’re in Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Jackson, the Upper Cumberland, or Northeast Tennessee, there is a group of young adults who meet regularly, who have navigated what you’re navigating, and who want to hear what you have to say. Visit the local YAABs directory to find your region’s chapter and coordinator contact.

Check the Calendar and Commit to One Event

You don’t have to commit to a year of meetings. Commit to one. Find a date that works, put it in your phone, and show up. That’s the whole ask. The YAAB Tennessee events calendar is updated regularly with monthly meetings, networking events, workshops, and advocacy days across all eight regions. Bookmark it, check it monthly, and pick your first event today. If you have questions before you go, reach out through the YAAB contact page — a real person will respond.

Frequently Asked Questions

How old do you have to be to attend a YAAB meeting in Tennessee?

YAAB meetings are open to young adults ages 17 to 25 who have lived experience of homelessness or housing instability. You do not need to be a current member to attend your first meeting — showing up is how you start.

Do I have to share my personal story at a YAAB meeting?

No. You are never required to share personal details about your housing situation or life history at any YAAB event. Check-in circles and discussion are always optional. You can participate fully by listening, asking questions, and contributing ideas without disclosing anything personal.

Are YAAB meetings free to attend?

Yes, all YAAB meetings and events are free for young adults to attend. Many regional chapters also offer participation stipends, meal support, or transportation assistance — ask your regional coordinator what's available in your area.

What if I live in a rural part of Tennessee and can't travel to meetings?

Many YAAB chapters, especially in rural regions like Upper Cumberland and Northeast Tennessee, offer hybrid or fully virtual meeting options. Reach out to your regional coordinator to ask about virtual attendance or transportation support before assuming you can't participate.

How is YAAB different from a regular support group or case management?

YAAB is not a support group or a case management service — it's a peer-led advocacy and advisory body. Members shape policies and programs rather than receive services. While YAAB events often surface useful resources, the primary purpose is to amplify young adults' voices in the systems that affect their lives.

Where can I find the schedule for upcoming YAAB events in Tennessee?

The YAAB Tennessee events calendar at yaabtn.org/calendar-events lists all upcoming monthly meetings, networking events, workshops, and advocacy days across all eight Continuum of Care regions. It is updated regularly, so check back monthly for new dates.