Organized under the campaign DC Youth Need Change!, DCAYA members distributed materials and information highlighting the need for $5 million in additional funding for the Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation and $4 million in funding for supports for homeless youth. DCAYA members urged Councilmembers to find loose change in the FY09 budget for youth initiatives. This effort follows months of preparation for the FY09 Budget Hearings. DCAYA members, including youth, participated in the Department of Human Services, Department of Employment Services, and DC Housing Authority budget and performance oversight hearings. One group of formerly homeless youth from member organization Sasha Bruce Youthwork participated in six weeks of advocacy training to prepare to give testimony and tell their stories to Councilmembers. Witnesses as young as eight years old participated in the hearings, as did Executive Directors of several community organizations. DCAYA Director Eshauna Smith and Youth Leadership Fellow Anthony Ross were interviewed on News Channel 8 in connection with the campaign.
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