Author Archive for: CaitlinK
Entries by Caitlin K
CIRCLE and OYUnited: Improving Voter Access through Research-Fueled Action
Cross-posted with permission from CIRCLE. Original post here. by Adam Strong Lessons from our initiative helping young leaders connect with election administrators to broaden youth voting. Our ongoing partnership with Opportunity Youth United (OYUnited), a movement of current and former opportunity youth, has shown that there are many levers to increase young people’s access to voting. Many of […]
In Three Cities, OYUnited CATs are Working to Boost Youth Voter Turnout
By Maharddhika Youth tend to vote at lower rates than older voters and are often called apathetic because of it, but they are far from it. The recent March for Our Lives and Climate Strikes are just the latest actions initiated by the youngest potential and future voters. Young people are highly engaged and their […]
Is it Time for a Youth Opportunity Guarantee?
By Adam Strong and Shawnice Jackson Should our nation have an “opportunity guarantee” of education, training, and employment for all young adults? How can we as a nation truly achieve equity without a framework — and what could this framework look like? What do young adults need to be successful in high school and beyond? […]
Think Make Live Hosts 4th Annual Civic Engagement Forum
It’s important to actively confront an American culture that continues to disproportionately and systemically punish black and brown people across the country – from incarceration to portrayal in the media, and treatment at school. At last month’s 4th Annual Civic Engagement Forum on Ending The School To Prison Pipeline, hosted by Think Make Live Youth […]
Opportunity Youth Need Support to Be Next Youth Workers, Advocates
By Kisha Bird This column was written for Youth Today, the national news source for youth-service professionals, including child welfare and juvenile justice, youth development and out-of-school-time programming. “Here I was figuring out how to connect to resources. I was helping opportunity youth but didn’t do that for myself. I’m on a national stage and at […]
Members of the Reconnecting Youth Campaign Meet with Senators to Urge Investment in Pathways to Opportunity
By Maharddhika In its second year, the Reconnecting Youth Campaign has set a bold goal: build on the success of its inaugural year, which saw a $195 million increase in Congressional funds to programs that provide pathways to school, work and job training for Opportunity Youth. This year’s goal is to secure enough federal funding […]
“We’re All Human.” Here’s How to Remember that When Meeting with Elected Officials
By Adam Strong The first time I met with a high-level policymaker, I was so nervous my neck actually went stiff. It was 2012, and I was meeting with then-Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, together with some of my fellow members of the OYUnited’s National Council of Young Leaders. For a moment, I was afraid […]
Your Guide to Navigating Professional Spaces as a Young Adult
By Amanda Shabowich The first the first professional conference I ever attended was a totally new experience for me. I was 21 and I had never really traveled without my family or friends. I had definitely never been anywhere like Aspen, Colorado, and I had never presented anything about my work outside of my […]