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Take a look at this year's Annual Report here.
Dear John,
With a new Administration and vaccine distribution on the horizon, I’m optimistic that we’ll see real progress in 2021.
But rest assured, youth activists aren’t done working. They will hold the new administration accountable for its promises. Advocates for Youth and our youth activists will not rest until all young people are safe, valued, and supported.
Our youth activists have continued to fight for a better world. Over the past year, Advocates for Youth staff trained and supported more than 500 youth activists working in their state, community and on their campuses to bring about change. You can support those activists with a donation of $50, $25, or even just $10 here.
As we created this year’s Annual Report I was struck by the commitment and determination young people have shown in 2020. A few examples:
- Cassidy, an Abortion Out Loud youth activist in Louisiana, joined a rally on the steps of the Supreme Court against the anti-abortion case discussing why the Justices should decide against the case (and they eventually did). Upon returning home, she recruited ten youth activists to canvas against another local anti-abortion ballot initiative. They knocked on hundreds of doors and launched a digital campaign targeting young people, reaching more than 2,000 people in a matter of months.
- Kim, a youth activist at University of Nevada Reno, successfully campaigned to increase student access to gender-neutral restrooms on her campus. Kim mobilized a campaign to re-designate "Faculty-Only" single-stall restrooms as "Gender-Neutral". As a result of Kim’s efforts, there are now 35 gender-neutral bathrooms at University of Nevada Reno!
- Maxine, a member of Advocates’ LGBTQ youth leadership team and Lisa, an activist that fights HIV stigma, worked together to campaign against antiquated HIV laws in Tennessee. They even persuaded a state legislator from Memphis to introduce a bill to modernize the state’s HIV policies.
- Chad and Andy, both students at Georgetown University, organized with the Black Survivors Coalition to stage a sit-in to protest the university's failure in supporting black survivors of sexual assault and to demand institutional accountability. After occupying Healy Hall for an entire week, the school finally came forward with a comprehensive response to meet the needs of the students.
Even in the face of racism, poverty, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, and a global pandemic, these youth activists did not back down. Our young people are not only deepening the work of the progressive movement but they are taking the reins.
Your donation will allow our youth activists to center their voices and drive change in their communities.
In the year ahead, Advocates will continue to partner with thousands of young people. Together we will remain vigilant and ensure that the Biden-Harris Administration and Congress commit to progressive solutions, including abortion access for all, expanded access to affordable healthcare, and a true commitment to racial justice.
Advocates’ staff and youth leaders have also diligently worked to respond to the pandemic and counter the harmful policies, rhetoric, and restrictions that put the lives of young people at risk all across this country. For example, Advocates has:
- Adapted our comprehensive sex education curriculum, Rights, Respect, Responsibility, for use on Google Classrooms—a digital platform that enabled thousands of schools to continue providing sex education through distance learning—even in the face of a global pandemic.
- Launched the Youth Abortion Support Collective, a ground breaking grassroots network comprised of hundreds of young people from across the country interested in helping others access abortion care when needed—particularly in the abortion deserts.
- In the wake of George Floyd's death, created several resources to uplift the voice and the power of young people, including a Protester Training Series to help young people safely and powerfully participate in the protest movement—over a 1,000 young people participated in the training series.
I am in constant awe of our staff and our youth activists. The dedication, resolve, creativity, and courage they display shows exactly why young people are not only leading the progressive movement, but creating the strategies and game plans to move us all towards a better future.
We mourn the lives and the freedoms that have been lost under the Trump Administration. We are hopeful 2021 will bring healing and change as the Biden/Harris administration takes office. But we know that there is still a long road ahead until we have reached justice and liberation for all young people. We will continue to stand with our youth activists from around the country and the globe to hold all of our leaders accountable.
Please consider making a 2020 year-end gift of $50, $100, $250, or more by December 31, 2020.
Thank you for being a part of our work with young people.,
Debra Hauser
President
Advocates for Youth
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