DCAYA Membership

DCAYA's membership ranges from direct service NGOs, CBOs and NBOs youth-engaged organizations operating in all of the District’s wards, providing all manner of opportunities and supports, and serving all sub-populations of young people to national level policy and advocacy organizations. They range from single-purpose groups with all-volunteer staff, small budgets, and a low volume of service users to multi-purpose agencies with diverse funding streams, large staffs, and thousands of service users.

What binds us together is our shared commitment to the positive development of children, youth and their families and the safety and stability of the neighborhoods and city in which they live. Members embrace the premise that the youth-engaged sector needs an organizational forum in which to build common interests and values, represent these values, and communicate unified positions to key stakeholders and the general public—that forum is DCAYA.

Beyond the need for unity, DCAYA functions as a full service membership organization. We currently offer three commitees that all DCAYA members are welcome and encouraged to participate in. These committees serve as monthly round tables for the various concerns of direct service providers, policy professionals, nationally engaged organizations,DCAYA's staff, and board of directors. Bi-monthly meetings allow DCAYA to respond to current issues and concerns in the youth development community and are organized by sector/issue area.

Our current committees include:

Out-of-School Time Committee

DCAYA is committed to ensuring that all young people have access to quality neighborhood after-school programs. To help reach this goal, DCAYA is working with the government and CBOs across the city to inform the public about the important, life-changing role the after-schools programs play in young people's lives.

Current Committee Members:

Gerry Kittner, Beacon House- Committee Chair

Amy Brady, Brainfood

Andria Hollis, Kid Power DC

Brandi Pretlow, Horton's Kids

Surjeet Ahiuwalea, Asian American LEAD

Suzy Hirsch, Chess Challenge DC

Katie Vinopal, DC Hunger Solutions

Wanda Holmes, Martha's Table

Stephenetta Benjamin, National Center for Children and Families

Staff Contact, Maggie Riden

Housing and Homelessness

DCAYA advocates on behalf of children and youth across the District who struggle to maintain stable housing or who voluntarily or involuntarily give up stable housing and become homeless.

Current Committee Members:

Deborah Shore, Sasha Bruce Youthwork

Dan Brennan, Covenant House DC

Jacon Newman, Latin American Youth Center

Brian Watson, Transgender Health Empowerment

Allison Medina, FAIR Fund

Stephanie Stines, Children's National Medical Center

Andrew Barnett, SMYAL

Nicole Lee-Mwandha, DCPS

Laura Jiunta, Covenant House

Tammi Hogan, Sasha Bruce Youth Work

Amanda Jones, VisionSpeaks Inc.

Staff Contact, Maggie Riden

Youth Workforce Development

A core value at DCAYA is ensuring that all children and youth grow into productive members of society. The work done by the Youth Workforce Development committee is centered around furthering this goal and ensuring the success of all young people.

Current Committee Members:

Sean Segal, Urban Alliance

Scott Perry, Edgewood Brookland Family Support Collaborative

Camille McKenzie, Columbia Heights Shaw Family Support Collaborative

Nicole Hanrahan, Latin American Youth Center

Lindsey Buss, Martha's Table

Anthony Chuukwu, Citiwide Computer and Nursing Assistance Center

Tsehaye Habteselasie, Covenant House

Staff Contact, Anne Abbott