tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332153872024-02-28T12:18:50.391-05:00Youth-Friendly DCYouth-Friendly DC is the official blog for the DC Alliance of Youth Advocates (DCAYA). We are dedicated to the mission of providing DC's children and youth with a safe, healthy and productive future.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11545287425460226543noreply@blogger.comBlogger344125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-65195565781990055552017-11-22T15:36:00.002-05:002017-11-22T15:40:50.769-05:00This Year We are Thankful for......you!
This holiday season, we’re thankful for all of your support. We're also thankful for our youth. However when it comes to youth voice and making space for young people to not only be heard, but for their stories and experiences to directly inform policy, we know that there always more work to be done.
And so we wanted to share two videos that we thought did a great job of putting youth Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-13971707616662891242017-11-15T12:00:00.000-05:002017-11-17T12:18:35.382-05:00Missed Opportunities: Youth Homelessness in America
As we eagerly await the data from 2017’s Youth Count DC, here’s a look at some national numbers and recommendations.
Today, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago released a brief highlighting the results from a national survey on unaccompanied youth homelessness in the US. The brief, Missed Opportunities: Youth Homelessness in America, highlights data collected from young people who have Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-8397810232470995162017-11-08T11:41:00.000-05:002017-11-09T11:43:40.752-05:00Six Months After the Launch of Solid Foundations DC
Six months after the release of Solid Foundations DC: Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Youth Homelessness, we’re taking a brief dive into how the plan is progressing for National Homeless Youth Awareness Month.
In 2016, Youth Count DC, DC’s annual census of youth experiencing homelessness in DC, revealed 537 Transition Age Youth experiencing homelessness or housing instability. To address Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-29712584290535330032017-11-01T12:18:00.000-04:002017-11-02T16:25:08.371-04:00A Visit to Latin American Youth CenterThis week, we're thrilled to introduce you to a new member of the DCAYA staff, Laura Romero. We'll let her introduce herself in this post, as well as share a bit from her visit to Latin American Youth Center.
As the new Youth Policy Associate at DCAYA, I am learning about issues that affect youth in DC--one of those issues is youth homelessness. I’ve always been interested in the nonprofit worldUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-45688632233343265442017-10-25T13:16:00.000-04:002017-10-30T15:37:30.680-04:00Flipped Classrooms
As part of Afterschool Awareness Month, we reached out to one of our Member Organizations for a guest blog post from one of their parents. DC PAVE "connects, trains, and empowers charter parent leaders to give families in DC a voice and choice in the vision for education in our city". We are thrilled to have Robert St. Cyr. as a guest author, this week.
In a traditional school, students Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-53600326921384104092017-10-18T13:46:00.001-04:002017-10-30T15:37:41.850-04:00The CE Experience
As part of Afterschool Awareness Month, we reached out to one of our Member Organizations for a guest blog post from one of their youth. Critical Exposure "trains youth to use photography and advocacy to make real change in their schools and communities". We are thrilled to have Desmond Cole, Jr. share his story this week.
I got involved with Critical Exposure (CE) in the summer of 2016 Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-26724922732165484772017-10-11T14:19:00.004-04:002017-10-11T14:19:56.239-04:00Happy International Day of the GirlDid you know it's International Day of the Girl?
"In 2011, as the result of youth advocacy around the world, the United Nations declared October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child. Its mission is “to help galvanize worldwide enthusiasm for goals to better girls’ lives, providing an opportunity for them to show leadership and reach their full potential.” It’s a day when activist groupsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-87117068212094846722017-10-04T16:12:00.001-04:002017-10-04T16:12:38.692-04:00Happy Afterschool Awareness Month
As you may know, October is Afterschool Awareness Month. And we thought we'd highlight Lights on Afterschool, an Afterschool Alliance project that has been that has been celebrated annually since 2000, to highlight the importance of and need for afterschool programs.
In America today, 11.3 million children are alone and unsupervised after school. Afterschool programs keep kids safe, help Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-92139642909294914832017-09-27T15:56:00.001-04:002017-10-03T14:10:36.236-04:00Child Care Testimony from today's Hearing from Maggie Riden
Today, the Committees on Education & Health held a hearing on B22-203, the Infant and Toddler Developmental Health Services Act & B22-355, the Bolstering Early Growth Investment Amendment Act. Maggie Riden, Executive Director of DC Alliance of Youth Advocates, provided testimony.
***
Good Morning Chairman Grosso, Chairman Gray, and Chairman Evans, fellow Councilmembers and committee Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-35602929522298114602017-09-20T16:05:00.001-04:002017-09-20T16:07:28.765-04:00DCAYA Federal Budget Impacts on DCThis document is intended to provide an evolving picture of how the 2018 Federal Budget could impact DC children, youth, families and the organizations that serve them.
As you review the following chart, keep in mind that due to the federal funding cycle, any decisions made in the FY2018 Federal Budget will not - generally - impact DC funding until FY2019.
We will continue to update this Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-13128304018907401892017-09-13T12:03:00.004-04:002017-09-13T12:11:48.458-04:00Introducing Ramina Davidson, DCAYA's new Senior Policy AnalystIt is with great pleasure that we welcome Ramina Davidson to the DCAYA team.
via GIPHY
As a Senior Policy Analyst, Ms. Davidson works to support the development of policy, advocacy, and budgetary recommendations on Expanded Learning and Youth Homelessness through high quality research and analysis.
Prior to joining DCAYA, Ms. Davidson worked at HIPS, a D.C. non-profit, to build and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-50409692050514046152017-09-06T12:03:00.000-04:002017-09-08T12:11:02.003-04:00Youth Job Fair on September 20In August 2015, a coalition of employers launched the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative and has formed the nation’s largest employer-led coalition committed to creating meaningful pathways and hiring opportunities for at least 100,000 youth by 2018.
With thousands of youth in the DC-metropolitan area out of school and not working, the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative is committed to investing in Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-37240705249222958872017-08-16T15:15:00.000-04:002017-08-16T17:14:15.607-04:00Youth Voice: Calling My Peers- Let's Get Civically Engaged
This week, we're sharing the perspective of Tavian Southall, a youth participant in Mikva Challenge DC who has spent the summer interning at the DC Council. We thank Tavian and Mikva Challenge DC for their contribution to this blog!
I am a college student! I just graduated from
high school, and now I am on my way to change the world. At the beginning of my
senior year of high schoolUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-54790878500254937852017-08-10T16:21:00.003-04:002017-08-10T16:21:13.665-04:00Late to class? Go straight to jail.
Do not pass go.
Do not go to class.
Do not go home.
Mic's Jack Smith IV wrote a piece this week about a new report by the Vera Institute of Justice, We still put children in jail for being late to class.
Now you might remember that several weeks ago, we stood in solidarity with the Every Student, Every Day Coalition regarding under reported suspensions at some DC high schools. AndUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-58235343118267396352017-08-02T16:16:00.000-04:002017-08-02T16:16:16.164-04:00My Summer Employment Experience, in Three Acts
Photo credit: GW Hatchet
This is part of a special series focused on summer employment experiences of adults in our network. Kicking us of is DCAYA's own Communications and Development Manager, JR Russ.
My first summer job was right before my freshman year at the George Washington University. I applied for and was hired part-time working in GWU's bookstore in 1999. Honestly, 18 Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-55835567150049706442017-07-19T15:00:00.000-04:002017-07-19T15:00:00.194-04:00DCAYA stands with the Every Student, Every Day CoalitionMonday evening the Washington Post released an article, Some D.C. High Schools Are Reporting Only a Fraction of Suspensions, detailing the practice at various DCPS high schools of placing students on “do not admit” lists without properly documenting the suspension and without properly marking the student’s absence as excused. In short, actively denying students their right to a free public Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-11858188479250884562017-07-13T19:19:00.001-04:002017-07-13T19:19:19.153-04:00🎶 Summertime, and the city’s steamy…
But that’s not stopping thousands of 14-24 year olds from
participating in the District’s 2017 Marion S. Barry Summer
Youth Employment Program.
Summer jobs have been a hot topic on the national scene this
year, as research shows that they are in sharp decline. According to a
recent piece in the Atlantic by
Derek Thompson, “In the summer of 1978, 60 percent of teens were working or
lookingUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-58837865266553564952017-07-06T16:16:00.003-04:002017-07-06T16:16:51.239-04:00A Fourth of July recap!With such a short week, we thought we'd do a round-up of Independence Day highlights from DCAYA member organizations, for a 2nd year in a row.
"...that among these are Life, Liberty & the pursuit of Happiness" & a HEALTHY MEAL.Donate to #fightsummerhunger: https://t.co/vej7IAlvId pic.twitter.com/Yce8wsoMyv
— Martha's Table (@MarthasTableorg) July 4, 2017
Happy Fourth of July from Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-54507293470089292942017-06-30T12:10:00.004-04:002017-07-05T15:06:40.376-04:00Teen Summer Programs at DC Public Library
This month, with summer now in full gear, we have a guest blog post from Jennifer Thompson, Teen Programs & Partnerships Coordinator at DC Public Library.
Teens come to the library for many reasons. Many of us (me included) have fond memories of using our library as a teen. Granted, I mostly used the library to play poker with my friends, but while I was there, I ended up learning Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-20142066563045638922017-06-21T15:24:00.004-04:002017-06-21T15:24:41.437-04:00Advancing Progress Toward Ending Youth Homelessness in the District
Last week, Maggie Riden, our Executive Director, had an opportunity to write a guest post for the Department of Human Services.
Here is an excerpt:
Last year, we got a call from a partner organization. They were working with a young mom of one year-old twins.
She’d connected with them to get help finding a GED and workforce program. Despite a lot of clear challenges, this was a young woman Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-40683079473528763672017-06-14T16:32:00.000-04:002017-07-05T15:06:58.302-04:00Top Ten Reasons to be a DCAYA MemberAs budget season has come to an end, we thought we'd spend this time highlighting some of the reasons to join our DCAYA family, or renew your membership if you're already a member.
So here are our top ten reasons your organization should be a DCAYA member
Being a member saves you time. In fact, DCAYA was partially found because a number of youth-serving organization realized that individually Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-29603470980141442017-06-08T11:44:00.001-04:002017-07-25T12:08:45.951-04:00Big Wins for Youth and Families in the FY18 Budget
The second FY18 budget vote will occur on June 13th at 11am (watch here: http://dccouncil.us/videos), and the final legislative vote will follow shortly after. But in the meantime, we wanted to share the progress we’ve made in elevating the needs of the District’s youth and families through the Council’s first vote.
To highlight the fruits of your labor throughout this budget Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-20734863821592244702017-05-31T16:39:00.001-04:002017-07-05T15:06:30.656-04:00When the School Day Ends, Hunger Persists
A couple of weeks ago, we hosted our third Intersectional Happy Hour at Satellite Room. For our most recent one, we looked at the relationship between food security and expanded learning programs.
We were especially thrilled to co-host this event with D.C. Hunger Solutions and we welcomed their Director, Beverly Wheeler who shared a bit about the work they do to end hunger in the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-86591822501952127972017-05-24T15:00:00.000-04:002017-05-24T15:00:17.206-04:00The release of Solid Foundations DC and our latest Youth Homelessness Issue BriefOn Monday of this week, we joined community partners at the Hill Center for the release of Solid Foundations DC, a Comprehensive Plan to End Youth Homelessness in the Distrcit by 2022.
We were thrilled to help provide logistics support for this joint event, presented by the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region and the District Interagency Council on Homelessness. The eventUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33215387.post-83589158093130419502017-05-17T15:00:00.000-04:002017-05-17T15:00:32.446-04:00Empowering the youth of DC
This month, as the school year winds down and summer is just around the corner, we have a guest blog post from Laura Irene, a board member and overall rock star volunteer with Girls Rock! DC.
The youth have a lot to teach us, it’s up to us as adults to listen and figure out ways to give them the tools they need to realize their power. At Girls Rock! DC (GR!DC) that is exactly what we aimUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0