This week DCAYA’s office has become a satellite BeyHive, abuzz with
excitement for our upcoming collaboration with #BeyGOOD— Beyoncé’s global charity campaign—and
STATE Bags. On Friday, we’ll be joining
our community partners to bring STATE backpacks, school supplies, and an
afternoon of fun to 250 of the District’s at-risk elementary school students
during a “Pep Rally for Good”. We’re thrilled to be one of six local partners
across the east coast chosen by the #BEYGOODxSTATE “Give Back Pack Program” to join forces with Beyoncé’s
youth advocacy work and elevate our issue areas. So you
ready, Bey? Let’s go get ‘em!
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By adding time tothe conventional school day in collaborative partnerships with educators from
community-based organizations, students gain access to personalized learning
and a wider array of academic, social and emotional opportunities. Research shows that students shine the
brightest and are up to 20 percent more likely to graduate from high school when
they have access to expanded opportunities to explore their interests and build
on their academic skills.
Young people in
the District struggle to find entry-level employment opportunities which serve
as important foundations for economic stability and lifelong success. DC’s
Summer Youth Employment Program provides a first step towards workforce
development for over 14,000 youth ages 14-21 every summer. Yet to truly prepare youth for the world of
work, this short-term experience must be complemented by quality year-round
programming that provides youth with the educational credentials, mix of hard
and soft skills, and work experience needed to thrive well into adulthood.
Homelessness among
youth in the District represents a varied group of young people struggling to
secure basic needs while also trying to acquire the skills necessary to make
the transition from adolescence to adulthood. This year, DCAYA
successfully advocated for stronger supports for homeless youth to include the
funding of a drop-in center, 15 new beds for homeless young people, an annual
homeless youth census and a street outreach program. While these advocacy
victories will undoubtedly benefit homeless youth, the need remains to fully
invest in a cohesive, city-wide strategy to prevent, address, and evaluate
youth homelessness in DC.
With an estimated
7,000 young people ages 16-24 completely disconnected from school and work, the
District has a vested interest in developing a smart and cohesive system of
youth re-engagement. According to
DCAYA’s 2013 Connecting Youth to Opportunity
report, District youth strive to find on-ramps back into the education to
career pipeline once they’ve disconnected, and many will make multiple attempts
to re-engage. This fall, the District
will capitalize on this youth resilience by opening its first Re-engagement
Center—a one-stop-shop where youth can access a broad range of re-engagement
services tailored to their individual needs.
As a coalition, DC
Alliance of Youth Advocates draws from the insight of its 130 youth-serving
members to craft local policy recommendations and build advocacy campaigns that
support the District’s most vulnerable, yet resilient young people. Behind our work
already stands a robust community of dedicated youth development professionals,
families, teachers, neighbors and mentors. Add Beyoncé to the mix and together we’ve got plenty superpower.
DCAYA would like to thank Beyoncé, #BeyGOOD, and STATE Bags for partnering with DCAYA to help us bring much needed resources to the youth of DC!
Amy Dudas is the disconnected youth and workforce development policy
analyst at DC Alliance of Youth Advocates. She strives to bring Beyonce-level
fierceness to all youth-related endeavors.
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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