CommonAction, founded in 2005, is a U.S. nonprofit organization promoting civic engagement for youth throughout society based in Olympia, Washington. Their programs, operating in Washington State, New York State, Florida, and Alberta, Canada, include The Freechild Project and SoundOut.
The mission of CommonAction is to create uncommon solutions to common problems by engaging young people and adults together for democracy. In order to accomplish this mission, CommonAction offers programs that provide training, tools, and technical assistance to community organizations, foundations, schools, and individual youth and adults. Topics addressed in these programs include youth voice, student voice, youth participation, and youth rights among others.
CommonAction is presided over by a Board of Directors, and supported by Advisory Boards, and staff members. Currently, the Board of Directors includes James Livengood, Jessica Vavrus, Kari Kunst, Adrienne Wiley-Thomas, Patricia Finnegan, Sarah Rich, and Doug Smith.
Adam Fletcher is the Executive Director of CommonAction. has worked in youth-serving nonprofit organizations, including AmeriCorps, the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Points of Light Foundation, and the Corporation for National and Community Service, since 1997.
Fletcher is a recognized international authority on youth. The United States Department of Education has cited Fletcher's work related to student voice, along with state education agencies and national education associations, as well as by independent education experts. Additionally, Fletcher has been cited for his work with focused on youth engagement in social change. Fletcher has been featured in one newspaper, and is quoted on a variety of youth issues by magazines, newspapers across the country, and youth themselves.
At present Fletcher also serves as a contributing editor to the academic journal Review of Education, Pedagogy and Cultural Studies and on boards for the Generation Y Foundation and the National Youth Rights Association.