Resources for Advocacy Season

It’s that time of year again, when the Wilson Building becomes abuzz with councilmembers and advocates meeting over issue areas, testifying at hearings, and deliberating on budget priorities. The DC Budget Season is particularly exciting though, because this is a time when community members can provide valuable input into how their city spends their tax dollars.

At the same time, these next few months can be a bit confusing, so we wrote this blog to help answer any lingering questions and offer resources to understand the DC Budget Season and how you can be involved.

Can anyone testify?

You must be a resident of the District of Columbia or work for an organization within the District of Columbia to testify. 

The Committee Chair will set the time limit for testimonies at the begin of the hearing, but often times, you get 2-3 minutes to testify. Although for some hearings, if you are representing an organization, you can get up to 5 minutes. If there are two people connected to your organization signed up to testify, however, the councilmember may choose to split your allotted time. Before testifying, you can check with the councilmember's staff to determine the length of your public testimony.  

Do note though, while you may have a limited time to speak on record, your written testimony may be any length. Written testimonies are very important for the councilmember to have on record so they can refer to it when questioning agency staff and use it as a resource to propose budget marks to council colleagues. Remember to bring 15 copies of your testimony to provide to the committee chairperson and committee members for their records.

How do you sign-up to testify?

You can call the councilmember's office, email the committee staffer, or sign-up online.  

On the day of the hearing, an official agenda with the list of people testifying is published on the DC Council website. From there, you can see whether you will be testifying near the beginning, middle, or end of the hearing so you can plan your day accordingly. Just be cautious, as committee chairs can jump around the agenda when people are absent, late, or added.

How should your testimony be structured?

Some of the most compelling testimonies are from community members who share their personal stories with councilmembers. Watch this powerful testimony of a young DC mom: http://bit.ly/1zzJLh7 (skip to 7:47). 

As advocates, we have the data sets and policy recommendations to really backup personal stories with concrete solutions. To make your testimony more robust, however, we recommend adding one recommendation to the end of your story which you can find in our Advocacy Agenda of 2015.

The general structure of a testimony would be:

• Thank the Chairperson of the committee and the other councilmember’s in the room.
• State your name and what Ward you live in and why you are testifying. 
• Tell a piece of your story that will capture the councilmembers’ attention.
• Explain why one recommendation resonates with your experience. 
• Re-thank the Chairperson for listening to your testimony. 

RESOURCES

• Download the Full Performance Oversight Hearing Schedule - or - Visit the DCAYA Events Calendar
• View the Directory of Councilmembers and Committee Breakdowns
• Subscribe to the Wilson Building Twitter List to Easily Follow Councilmember Conversations
• Visit the DC Council Website for Hearing Updates and Answers to Agency Performance Questions
• Watch Hearings Live on the DC Council Website
• For Further Wonky Insight on Budget Recommendations Read the DCFPI Blog
• Stream the Twitter Conversation with the Following Hashtags:
• Committee on Education: #EduHearing
• Committee on Health and Human Services: #HumanServicesHearing
• Committee on Housing and Community Development: #HousingHearing
• Committee on Business, Consumer & Regulatory Affairs: #YouthEmployHearing

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.

5 Youth Advocacy Trends to Watch in 2015

Today, DC Alliance of Youth Advocates releases our 2015 Advocacy Agenda! Like every year, there are bureaucratic hurdles to jump and procedural barriers to break to ensure the needs of young people are properly being met. So let’s hop to it, we’ve got quite the advocacy season ahead of us!

Also, don’t forget to check out DCAYA’s full advocacy agenda for the coming year. We will need the power of your voice to truly make lasting change!

DCAYA Policy and Advocacy Agenda of 2015

Holistic Funding to Curb Family Homelessness

One important youth area to watch in this budget season is funding around family homelessness. Nearly half of the homeless families currently in the shelter system are youth-headed. DC General and two hotel buildings are almost at capacity for sheltering families, and more families continue to enter the system daily during hypothermia season. There are several budget items that have an impact on alleviating family homelessness: a plan to close DC General, the Local Rent Supplement Program, Permanent Supportive Housing, Rapid Re-Housing, the Housing Production Trust Fund, year-round access to shelter, public housing, funding the Dignity Bill, and more. Overall, we will be working closely with all of our advocacy partners to ensure that every piece of the homelessness budget puzzle is put in place to help young families find and keep affordable housing.

Increasing Local Investments to Expanded Learning Programs

In 2015, DCAYA is focused on increasing local funding to expanded learning programs. Currently, the District heavily relies on federal funds, namely the 21st Century Community Learning grants, to support its afterschool programs. With a new Congress in place, there are increased concerns that the 21st Century grants will either be drastically cut or completely eliminated in the upcoming federal budget. DC must be prepared to protect its investments in education. We must begin adding local funds to ensure that the infrastructure and program implementation of critical expanded learning programs are not lost because of federal funding fluctuations.

Continued Collaboration to Amp Up Youth Workforce Development Programming

This year, DCAYA is driving home our commitment to high-quality, year round workforce development opportunities for youth across the District by co-facilitating the first-ever Youth Workforce Leaders Academy (YWLA) cohort. DCAYA and our partners are convening leaders in the youth workforce sphere in a unique peer learning environment to scale up best practices and locally-informed solutions across DC. Especially in light of the implementation of new federal youth workforce legislation this summer (the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), it’s a great time to come together as a community to discuss what’s been working and where improvements can be made, both organizationally and system-wide.

We look forward to the creative partnerships, professional networks, and increased organizational resources that will result from YWLA for years to come!

Easing Access to Youth Development Opportunities through Transportation Subsidies 

Look for a strong advocacy front around expanding the District’s transportation subsidy programs to include youth. DCAYA’s Connecting Youth to Opportunity report demonstrated that transportation proves to be a pervasive barrier to youth accessing youth development programs, school, and workforce opportunities. According to the study, over 33% of respondents reported spending over $30 a week or $120 a month on transportation. Based on reported income data, this suggests youth are spending between 15-30% of their monthly income on transportation alone.

In partnership with our colleagues at Raise DC’s Disconnected Youth Change Network, we’ll be presenting our policy recommendations to Mayor Bowser’s team and council staff during the 2015 budget season.

Increased Use of Visual Data to Break Down Wonky Policy Asks

Policy analysts and funders alike are realizing that white papers and data sets are necessary to our mission, but can leave out a large advocacy audience.

Last year, DCAYA experienced firsthand the influential power of visual tools when we invested time into creating an infographic to explain the gaps in homeless youth services. The effort paid off as councilmembers publically commended the infographic and asked the advocacy community to continue using visuals to breakdown our, at times, complicated policy asks.

Look for additional visuals this year as we delve into the issues facing young people and be sure to get involved with our advocacy campaigns via social media to continue growing our strong advocacy front.

So on that note, please follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and sign-up for our Newsletter so you are always up-to-date on what is happening in the youth advocacy community.

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.

Ain't No Stopping Us Now

Photo taken at DCAYA 10 Year Anniversary Celebration by AISM Photography

Before we move forward with our 2015 advocacy agenda, let’s take a quick second to look back on our community’s accomplishments. 

2014 was a monumental year for youth advocates as we banded together to pass impactful legislation and transformative community initiatives.

As an alliance, we are making significant and positive changes for young people in our community. Check out our Top 10 Outcomes of 2014.

Top 10 Outcomes of 2014

1.) Passed LGBTQ Homeless Youth Legislation

This groundbreaking legislation is the first of its kind throughout the country that’s targeted to support homeless LGBTQ youth. Nationally, LGBTQ youth make up a disproportionately- large share of the overall homeless youth population. By increasing immediate services - such as beds - and long-term supports -like family reunification programs – DC is addressing the issue of homelessness among LGBTQ youth head-on. What makes this legislation particularly progressive, and a model for national legislation, is the cultural competency training component, that will ensure staff members interacting with LGBTQ youth are aware of and sensitive to their unique needs.

Learn more: Will You Be America’s Next Top Model?

2.) Welcomed the Creation of the Re-Engagement Center

The creation of DC’s Re-Engagement Center is a major advancement for the District’s disconnected youth population that was several years in the making. From the National League of Cities building on national best practice to conduct a Re-Engagement Center feasibility study, to DCAYA’s research and composition of a report to document the specific needs of DC’s disconnected youth. The findings behind a Re-Engagement Center were clear, DC youth need a single entry point with strong connections to trusted adults to successfully reconnect to educational opportunities. Rather than sending youth to various offices across the District to figure out their next life steps, the Re-Engagement Center is a single-door approach to help guide youth back onto a path of educational success.

Learn more: “One-Stop-Shop” to Re-Engagement

3.) Advocated to Expand the Kids Ride Free Program to SYEP Youth

How is an at-risk youth with no money able to afford their trip to work before their first pay check? For years, this has been a significant hurdle for SYEP youth seeking to gain valuable work experiences. DCAYA posed this question to then Councilmember Muriel Bowser and Councilmember Mary Cheh at the Kids Ride Free Roundtable last year. To our great appreciation, they listened. With leadership and support from DOES, the Kids Ride Free Program was expanded to SYEP youth for the three week period before youth received their first paycheck. Through this collaborative solution, youth were able to focus on doing a great job, instead of the financial stress of getting to their job.

Learn more: Jump on the Bus

4.) Passed Homeless Youth Amendment Act of 2014 with $1.3 Million in Funding

Funding towards youth- specific shelter beds and programming has declined over the years, which is why this legislation and funding mark was critically needed. With significant community support and strong council backing, the Homeless Youth Act was passed to ramp-up services which target youth between the ages of 16 -24. A significant piece of this legislation focuses on collecting and analyzing data on homeless youth to best target funding towards services that work.

View infographic: Filling the Gaps of Homeless Youth Services

5.) Published Voter Education Guide

What an election year! With so many candidates running for office across the District, how were concerned residents able to decide who was best fit for the positions? DCAYA sent out surveys to all Mayoral, Ward, and At-Large candidates asking them about their stances on pressing youth issues and received a 100% response rate. For advocates it was a win-win situation: community members became more informed about the issues, and candidates became well aware that youth advocates are very committed to holding our elected officials accountable for addressing the needs of young people.

Read more: Candidate Surveys

Watch the youth voter video: I Vote DC

6.) Simplified Afterschool Enrollment Process for Low-Income Parents

2013 was a major headache for low-income parents trying to enroll their children into free or reduced-cost afterschool programs. Through collaborating with the DC Public Schools Out-of-School Time office, DCAYA was able to suggest significant changes to the enrollment process so parents of children who need these enrichment programs most are able to access them successfully.

Learn more: Great News for Out-Of-School Time Programs & Parents

7.) Passed Child Sex Trafficking Legislation

It is a heartbreaking and truly unfortunate reality that sometimes something terrible has to happen before lawmakers will act. After DCAYA published a blog about a young person from the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project who was abducted and trafficked to California for commercial sex, policymakers and law enforcement began to listen. A comprehensive bill was drafted by trauma- informed experts to protect, rather than prosecute, victims of child sex trafficking to provide them with the services they need to successfully recover.

Learn more: Sex for Shelter

8.) Created the Youth Workforce Leadership Academy

In July, DCAYA and our partners launched the Youth Workforce Leadership Academy, a year-long learning community of youth development professionals. The Academy allows emerging leaders in the youth workforce field to discuss best practices and build strong city-wide partnerships. The monthly collaborative workshops are intended to bolster programming for young people so that DC may become a community of experts that are committed to combating poverty through a skilled youth workforce.

Learn more: DCAYA Releases Workforce Leadership Academy Application

9.) Lead Design of a Coordinated Intake System for Homeless Youth

Right now, when a young person goes to a youth shelter and there are no beds, they are often turned away and left to figure out their next steps for the night. DCAYA is working with nonprofits and government agencies to lead the creation of a coordinated intake system, so that when a shelter cannot accommodate a youth with no place to stay, that young person will be guided to a program with available space. Look out for more on this in the New Year!

Learn more: Coordinated Entry: Boot Camp and 100-Day Challenge

10.) Celebrated Ten Years of Youth Advocacy

Can you believe we’ve been doing this for 10 years? That’s right folks, as an alliance we’ve pushed for youth reforms and innovative initiatives for a decade now, getting stronger and stronger with each passing year. We can’t wait to see our advancing work impact the lives of DC’s youth in DCAYA’s next decade. It’s through the power of the 130+ youth-serving organizations behind us that DCAYA has accomplished so much for the youth of DC, and there “ain’t no stopping us now.”

If you are a youth-serving organization in DC, consider becoming part of the Alliance to grow the strength of the youth-serving community.

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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.