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Although youth are often talked about in policy settings, and served through programs, their opinions are rarely sought and their voices are often ignored. DCAYA works to ensure that young people are empowered and given both skills and opportunities to advocate for themselves and their peers. To this end, DCAYA engages and promotes the voices of youth who are affiliated with our members’ programs. Youth engagement is critical to identifying the needs of DC’s young people, communicating those needs to local leaders and officials who are considering youth development initiatives, and ensuring that city leaders understand and value youth. Recent Youth Engagement Activities:Youth Advocacy TrainingDCAYA co-convened a Youth Advocacy Training Day with organizations
Youth Advocacy Training with SashaBruce Youth DCAYA conducted a Youth Advocacy Training with member organization Sasha Bruce Youthwork. DCAYA trained some of the homeless youth at the SBY independent living shelters to testify at the Department of Human Services hearing on April 23, 2007. Equipped with the training, these youth were able to make their own case in person for the importance of services to homeless youth. Their testimony can be found here: Testimony
of Kwame Booker Engaged Mayoral Candidates in Well-Attended Youth-Led Forum On May 22, 2006, 250 young adults, children, parents, and supporters attended a forum organized by 30 young people associated with DCAYA member organizations. The forum gave the leading Mayoral candidates an opportunity to respond to a series of questions developed by young people themselves on key issues that impact their lives. Participating mayoral candidates included Marie Johns, Michael Brown and Vincent Orange, Sr. Popular radio personality Jeannie Jones (of WKYS, 93.9 FM) was the evening’s special guest hostess, and the evening was enlivened by a performance by the Latin American Youth Center’s Girl Talk leadership group. The forum, Our Trials, Our Stories, Our Future, It’s Time For A Change was a vehicle for District youth to express their needs and struggles, demonstrate their leadership, and provoke mayoral candidates to commit to developing a youth-involved vision for young people in DC. Teen leaders asked the candidates questions about foster care, adolescent health, employment, education and juvenile justice. The forum put Mayoral candidates on notice that young adult voters and their supporters would hold DC’s next Mayor accountable to high expectations for public youth-serving agencies and to a vigorous commitment to investments in youth services. In a city where youth face numerous risk factors, city leaders must implement a long-term vision to help youth reach their maximum potential as productive, engaged, and enlightened citizens. Related documents: Press
release Additional Youth Testimony Coordinated by DCAYATawanda
Davis, 17, of FLY on Youth Development Strategy |
