Youth program participants bring unique insight to the conversation when given the opportunity to speak on behalf of the programs they access. Since youth interact with a variety of government agencies and services - often in a unique way - their voice in these hearings is critically important. We strongly encourage our members to talk with the youth they serve about the chance to testify in person, submit a written statement, write a personal letter, or even submit a verbal statement on camera so the Councilmembers who oversee key committees can hear their perspective. The youth voice is a vital part of the democratic process.
We’ve taken a few steps to help facilitate this process:
- Below we have a list of the agency performance hearings that are relevant to youth and youth serving organizations.
- On the dc-aya.org website we offer one-pagers on specific issues, research, and past testimonies to give examples and data that can be used to strengthen a testimony.
- We are hosting an Advocacy through Storytelling – Brown Bag Lunch at the DC Center for the LGBT Community on February 18th from 12PM – 1:30PM. We will provide hands-on help for crafting a compelling testimony. We will also walk program providers and youth, step-by-step, through the process of testifying in front of DC Council. (Register Here)
DC Alliance of Youth Advocates is a coalition created to insure that the best programs and practices are offered to our city's young people. By unifying our voice during the performance oversight and budget hearings, we seek to realize our vision of building a truly youth-friendly DC.
Performance Oversight Hearings:
February 10th
Committee on Human Services, Chairperson Jim Graham
Agency: Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation
February 12th
Committee on Human Services, Chairperson Jim Graham
Agency: Child and Family Services AgencyFebruary 13th
Committee on Education, Chairperson David Catania
Agency: DC Public Schools (Public Witnesses Only)
Committee on Transportation & The Environment, Chairperson Kenyan McDuffie
Agency: Department of Parks and Recreation
February 19th
Committee on Education, Chairperson David Catania
Agencies: State Board of Education, Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education, Public Library SystemFebruary 20th
Committee on Human Services, Chairperson Jim Graham
Agency: Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services
February 24th
Committee on Government Operations, Chairperson Kenyan McDuffie
Agencies: Advisory Neighborhood Commission, Executive Office of the Mayor
Committee on Education, Chairperson David Catania
Agency: Office of the State Superintendent of Education
Committee of the Whole, Chairman Phil Mendelson
Agencies: University of the District of Columbia, University of the District of Columbia Community College
February 26th
Committee on Business, Consumer, & Regulatory Affairs
Agency: Workforce Investment Council
Committee on Human Services, Jim Graham
Agency: Department of Human Services
February 27th
Committee on Education, Chairperson David Catania
Agency: DC Public Schools (Government Witnesses Only)
March 6th
Committee on Education, Chairperson David Catania
Agencies: DC Public Charter School Board, Public Charter Schools
Maggie Riden is the Executive Director of DC Alliance of Youth Advocates. To read her past performance oversight and budget hearing testimonies please visit www.dc-aya.org/news. Maggie will also be one of the presenters hosting the Advocacy through Storytelling - Brown Bag Lunch.
For more on youth issues in DC you can FOLLOW us on Twitter, LIKE us on Facebook, SUBSCRIBE to this blog and VISIT us at www.dc-aya.org.
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