FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: CLASP@itseleventhirtysix.com July 13, 2021 WASHINGTON, DC – Today, young leaders from the A New Deal for Youth initiative called on Congress to pass the “H.R. 1 - For the People Act.” A New Deal for Youth Changemakers, as the young leaders are called, firmly support passage of the bill, but note that it is the bare minimum Congress can do to protect American democracy. A New Deal for Youth rated the ‘For the People Act’ a 3.3 out of 10 on its legislative…
Before the pandemic, 1 in 9 youth were considered disconnected, meaning not in school and without a job. Now, that number is 1 in 4. This disconnection can have ramifications on the life and career these youth will lead 60 years down the line. For employers who want to rebuild, hire and retain diversity, and…
The Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act was recently reintroduced in Congress by Rep. @ayannapressley, Sen. @chrismurphyct, Sen. @elizabethwarren, Rep. @ilhanmn, Rep. @jamaalbowmanny and Sen. @tinasmithmn. The legislation would provide schools resources to hire counselors and mental health professionals instead of police and would advance our demands for healing and well-being. Our #NewDealforYouth changemakers used…
The Connecting Youth to Jobs Act introduced by @repchuygarcia and @repmarcykaptur would directly connect young people to employment opportunities and support services, prioritizing young people who have been most historically excluded. Our #newdealforyouth changemakers scored this bill that would advance economic justice and opportunity for young people. Congress must include this legislation in the economic…
“The ‘pay your dues’ concept is a trap.” Recently, Monica*, 22, showed up to her job at a fast food restaurant and was ordered to take out braids she’d had put in less than 24 hours ago. This was despite the fact that her hair was in a ponytail and covered in two hairnets and…
“I want to help people that look like me and have experienced what I have experienced. I want to be able to be an advocate for them… If I can reach back and give someone a hand, I definitely want to.” - Yusef Presley, New Deal for Youth Changemaker By Jacquelyn Sullivan Since 1988, U.S. presidents…
Join us for a 60-minute webinar on Youth Mobile Response Services – a 24-hour service that supports young people undergoing mental health and social crises.
Youth-Centered, Equity-Focused Framework to Close Gap for America’s Young as Nation Heads Toward Post-Pandemic Future May 25, 2021, WASHINGTON, DC – As the nation heads toward recovery from the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, young community leaders will release the New Deal for Youth Policy Platform on Wednesday, May 26, from 4-6pm EST on Facebook and YouTube. The comprehensive…
Meyiya Coleman, 22, describes familial connections to the issues she organizes around. Growing up on the West Side of Chicago, she says she was about eight years old when she started engaging in community activism with her family. At a young age, she lost a cousin she loved dearly when he was gunned down at…
She the People is celebrating Women’s History Month by looking to the future. This list highlights just 25 of the young women and girls of color who are changing the cultural and political landscape. They have roots across the country, from battleground states like North Carolina, Georgia and Ohio, to sites of historic struggle like…
Carlil Pittman knows trauma firsthand. As the co-founder of the Chicago-based youth organization GoodKidsMadCity-Englewood, he grieved the loss of Delmonte Johnson, a young community activist, more than two years ago to the very thing the teen fought fiercely against: gun violence. He’s also been angered and frustrated by the onslaught of stories of Black Americans killed at…
(CNN)Talia Kaganovsky has struggled with her mental health for years. But when Covid-19 hit, "it was almost like a giant slap in the face," the 18-year-old freshman at University of Pittsburgh said. Kaganovsky, like all Americans, had to readjust her habits and expectations when the pandemic began a year ago. For many high school seniors, that…
Joe Biden ran to be a president for all Americans, and this includes young people who were critical contributors to his victory last November. Young people have the power to influence presidential elections, but whether they influence presidencies is another matter entirely. Biden ran on promises that matter to young people. But, after less than three…
Changemakers rated the American Rescue Plan a 4.4 out of 10, noting that the bill does not include long-term provisions that will allow young people to thrive, that it omits undocumented communities, and that young people’s needs were not centered in the bill’s priorities.
We look forward to working with the #BidenAdministration and members of Congress…
Even before covid-19, teen parents faced greater levels of housing, financial and food insecurity
Liss Raber (Courtesy of Michael Holley); Araseli Chicas (Courtesy of Araseli Chicas); Aysia Miller-Wansel (Courtesy of Aysia Miller-Wansel).
Rainesford Stauffer
Mar. 9, 2021
Aysia Miller-Wansel, 17, is saving to buy a car and, when she turns 18, move out of her group home…
A group of student activists ages 14 to 25 is urging the Biden administration and Congress to create a plan for youth modeled on the Roosevelt administration’s response to widespread unemployment of young adults during the Great Depression. The group is asking for what they term a New Deal for Youth. Among other goals, it would…
Our nation is at a crossroads. We are in the midst of a global pandemic and an economic recession. Since the summer, hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets to protest racial injustice, public lynchings, and police brutality. In the face of these systemic challenges and public health threats, young people are leading and…