Give to DC Youth on Giving Tuesday

This year, on Tuesday, November 29, 2016, DC Alliance of Youth Advocates are participating in #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving.

Last year, more than 45,000 organizations in 71 countries came together to celebrate #GivingTuesday.  Since its founding in 2012, #GivingTuesday has inspired giving around the world, resulting in greater donations, volunteer hours, and activities that bring about real change in communities.  We invite you to join the movement and to help get out and give this November 29.

So for the holiday season, we ask that you Give to DC Youth. Our youth are facing tough times on multiple socio-economic fronts and have fallen behind when compared nationally, including youth unemployment, high school dropout rates, and youth living below the poverty line.

Over the past 5 years, the support of individuals like yourself have enabled us to lead advocacy and awareness campaigns which resulted in:

• Doubling emergency shelter and transitional living capacity for youth
• Sustaining and protecting over 25,000 after school and summer program slots
• Helping secure and guide $124,000,000 to support expanded learning opportunities &
• A $78,000,000 investment in year round youth workforce development opportunities and career pathway entry points

We accomplished all the above, in addition to many other successes, because  of our family of supporters.

And because this work is a marathon, Giving Tuesday and End of Year Giving, is a very crucial water station to help keep our work hydrated 365 days a year.

And the impact of your donation ripples across multiple wards, affects the work of hundreds of organizations, and improves the lives of tens of thousands of youth. With your support, our work gives all youth a chance to succeed, a change for the best, and a choice they can own.

So please Give to DC Youth, by going to: bit.ly/givetodcyouth2016

And remember that Giving Tuesday is about giving time as well as money. Many are using it as an opportunity to volunteer. Whatever you do, however you share your support, don't forget to use the hashtags #GivingTuesday or #GiveLikeALocal!

- Your team at DCAYA

P.S. In case you want to give while you get, before Giving Tuesday, you can do so at Amazon Smile. Just click here first: bit.ly/dcayaamazonsmile

Giving Tuesday is next week, after Black Friday and Cyber Monday

The DC Alliance of Youth Advocates is once again participating in #GivingTuesday (December 1st!). With Black Friday and Cyber Monday focused on "getting", Giving Tuesday is a global day dedicated to giving. And for many DC youth, what adults and organizations in their community give is the only way they get access to high-quality and affordable developmental opportunities.

Last year, more than 27,000 organizations in 68 countries came together to celebrate #GivingTuesday.  Since its founding in 2012, #GivingTuesday has inspired giving around the world, resulting in greater donations, volunteer hours, and activities that bring about real change in communities.

So we are asking you to save the date and join this global movement by continuing to support our local work. Consider giving $15 in '15.

Our goal for #GivingTuesday is  $1,500. With your help and only 99 other DCAYA friends and supporters, we will easily hit this target, if not surpass it! We hope you'll join us in kicking off our end-of year campaign to ensure that youth have a unified and powerful voice in the decisions that impact their lives.

Here is the link to our Giving Tuesday campaign page: bit.ly/dcayagivingtuesday2015

Please bookmark the link, take a second to visit and give on Tuesday, December 1 and if you can, share why you support DCAYA on our Facebook page or by mentioning us on Twitter.

And if you'd like to print out a sign like the one JR is holding above to share your own reason for giving, you can print it from here. Whatever you do, however you share your support, don't forget to use the hashtags #GivingTuesday or #GiveLikeALocal!

Again, a successful campaign on December 1st will go far in ensuring our community starts the new year with our best foot forward: While this might be the end of 2015, what you give today will be the key to the beginning of new opportunities for many youth in the District.

So save the date, and get ready to give to DC youth, by giving here on Giving Tuesday.

P.S. In case you want to give while you get, before Giving Tuesday, you can do so at Amazon Smile. Just click on this link first: bit.ly/dcayaamazonsmile

Reflecting on the Past Year

Holiday Letter from the DC Alliance of Youth Advocates executive director, Maggie Riden.

The holiday season and start to a new year is a natural time of reflection, a time of pause where we recall the poignant moments of the past twelve months. Where we mourn our losses, but also celebrate our successes. As a family of passionate youth advocates, we have a little of both.

Our losses this year are still, for many, very fresh. Marion Barry was a passionate advocate. He was a powerful presence and in many ways, the original youth champion. His belief in the power of the people, and his work to give every DC resident a voice is unparalleled. The disappearance of Relisha Rudd continues to be a loss that reverberates throughout our community. It’s an echo of sadness that, for those closest to her, will never cease. The tragedy in Ferguson, the death of Michael Brown and subsequent community conflict has become a stark reminder that as a nation we have much work to do in addressing race, equity and equality. It’s important to acknowledge these moments.

It’s equally important to recognize that tragedy and crisis are fertile ground for profound and positive change.

That potential is what I think about when I think about the DCAYA family.

• Young people like Charmia, Kyrina, Boogie and Jorge: Their willingness to speak truth to power and their belief in not only themselves, but their peers, reminds me of the power inherent in each young person when they’re given room to grow and thrive. 

• The staff working with youth at our member organizations: The unsung heroes who are helping youth find their passion and their voice as they navigate the path to adulthood. Their commitment is a reminder of just how critical a positive role model or mentor is in nurturing the life of a young person. 

• Our fellow advocates: Those ardent individuals who never hesitate to discuss the difficult issues, who are the first to bring a solution to the table. Their work to cultivate creative solutions and refusal to accept mediocrity reminds me each day that big picture change is always possible. 

DCAYA is the tent that brings this diverse array of voices together. We work each and every day to support those future leaders in finding their voice, to highlight the impact our member organizations have on the landscape of our city, and to provide policy makers with proven solutions. Through this collective and coordinated approach, our impact is very real. We are addressing youth and child homelessness with vigor; we are creating quality academic and enrichment opportunities for all young people; and we’ve listened to our youth and are now actively mobilizing agencies, providers and funders to address the barriers young people face when trying to reconnect to school and work.

This isn’t to say our work is done. Know that in the year to come DCAYA will continue to nurture the seeds of change our community has planted. We embrace the challenges 2015 will undoubtedly bring because as a community, as a family of passionate youth advocates, we can face them together head on.

As 2014 comes to a close, look out for an upcoming blog post on DCAYA's 2015 advocacy agenda. Together we can advocate for a truly Youth-Friendly DC.

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.