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If Not Us, Then Who? OYUnited joined the ND4Y Week of Action in DC

By Shaquana Boykin, OYUnited-SparkAction Digital Engagement Fellow

 

A New Deal for Youth (ND4Y) is a youth-led, youth-centered effort advocating for the creation of new systems, policies, investments, and structures that reimagine life for young people in America. New Deal for Youth’s Changemakers developed a policy agenda that includes several issue areas: Economic Justice and Opportunity Justice, Healing and Wellbeing, Justice and Safe Communities, Environmental Justice, Immigration Justice, and Democracy and Civil Engagement.

 

As a Change Partner of ND4Y, OYUnited joined the New Deal for Youth Week of Action from October 6th – 9th in Washington DC. This Week of Action brought together organizational partners like OYUnited and the ND4Y Changemakers, a cohort of young leaders between the ages of 15 and 32 from across the country. These young leaders are advocates and organizers who work across a range of issues facing their communities. 

 

Young leaders from across the country represented OYUnited at this Week of Action, including Kimberly Pham, our Engagement Coordinator, Makayla McDonald, one of our current Fellows, and myself (Shaquana Boykin) as our Digital Engagement Fellow.

 

Thursday, October 6, 2022 – Legislative Advocacy

Photo Credit :Gerod Blue

Photo Credit: Shanice Tuner

 

During the Week of Action we met with policymakers to raise awareness of ND4Y’s policy agenda, grow champions, and demonstrate the power of young people. I was part of a group that included two New Deal for Youth Changemakers, Cody and Alexis, along with Gerod Blue, Senior Policy Manager at the Forum for Youth Investment. We met with a staffer for California Representative Sara Jacobs, Arion Laws, who was open to listening to our concerns and responded positively to our request for Representative Jacobs to be our champion for New Deal for Youth Demands. The meeting went well, and it was an exciting opportunity to uplift our priorities and ensure Members of Congress are committed to issues impacting Opportunity Youth.

 

Friday, October 7, 2022 – Summit for Administrative Advocacy

Photo Credit: Shaquana Boykin

Photo Credit: Shaquana Boykin

 

The next day, the New Deal for Youth held a Summit for Administrative Advocacy at Southwest Library in Washington, DC. The Summit provided space for sharing our priorities with members of the Biden-Harris Administration and learning how the Biden-Harris Administration can positively impact the future of young people. Watch the full Summit here.   

 

Saturday, October 8, 2022 – Public Awareness / Mural Painting & Block Party

 

Photo Credit :Jameil Alexander

Photo Credit :Shanice Turner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also engaged in activities together to build community among the Changemakers and Change Partners, including painting a mural to give back locally. The mural painting was led by OYUnited co-founder and former member of OYUnited’s National Council of Young Leaders, Francisco Garcia

 

Overall, the ND4Y Week of Action was an impactful way to build community while raising awareness about our policy platform. OYUnited is proud to be a Change Partner of the ND4Y movement, and we’re excited to continue working as part of this coalition to transform current systems to better support young people and Opportunity Youth.

 


A passionate advocate and youth organizer, Shaquana Boykin works closely with the SparkAction team to enhance Opportunity Youth United’s digital presence by producing content, coordinating social media, and launching creative events and activations.

We Voted, What Now?

“We Voted, What Now?”

Your Voices Matters. OYUnited members mobilized, GOTV, and  [YOU]th Voted. During a pandemic and the largest estimate of “growing voters”, people turning 18, compared to this past General Election, according to CIRCLE, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement, is close to 15 million new voters. So what impact did our OYUnited members have? Read more

Take a look at several OYUnited members  mobilizing in their communities before and after General Elections 2020

Atlanta, Georgia

We Voted

You[th] Voted, OYUnited Leaders Shanice Turner and Daniel Rosebud have been participating in non-partisan Get Out The Vote events in Atlanta.  Shanice and Daniel are Carolina Voter Mobilization Grantees, who applied for this grant through OYUnited and are individuals working on voter mobilization in their prospective Communities since October 2019, leading up to National Voter Registration Day 2020. Click here to see highlights of National Voter Registration Day 2020 in ATL. Efforts were highlighted in a TIME article published in November 2020, titled  Civic Engagement Doesn’t Have to Be Corny.’ How Georgia Pulled Off Unprecedented Youth Voter Turnout” and quoted OYUnited

“It came down to grassroots organizing by groups like the New Georgia Project, Campus Vote Project, Students for 2020, and Opportunity Youth United, which made innovative social media moves and hired younger volunteers to help young voters see themselves in politics.”

 

 

What Now

After Elections 2020

So what are our members doing in their prospective communities in a nonpartisan way? Shanice Turner and Daniel Rosebud have mastered the art of partnering within their prospective communities. Here is what is next, happening NOW!

 

NCYL member Shanice Turner has several nonpartisan GOTV events in ATL mobilizing in her community. From Tik Tok Challenges, Radio Podcast, Debate Watch Party, Debate debriefs, COVID 19 testing, and organizing food giveaways. Shanice strengthened in building partnerships with New Georgia Project and others are targeting young adults 18 to 35 years old. Check out this link of events going on in ATL hosted by Shanice helping to spread the word about the Georgia Senate Run-Off.

 

Community Leader Daniel Rosebud has put together events he calls “Activations” driven by young adults ages 18 to 35 years young. Earlier in December Daniel Rosebud on  Special Report with Areva Martin addressing viewers through a panel dialogue that is informing and inspiring viewers across the country GOTV.  A link from his segment is Here.

To keep the presence on social media, Daniel has captured a culture in an effort to GOTV in ATL using #VoiceYourVote – “Activations composed of an overarching message to mobilize in 2020 and 2021”. When asked what would these efforts involve? Daniel explains GOTV is an innovative way – Leveraging nonpartisan information, a series of community engagement activities geared toward first-time voters, and two (2) panel discussions. These discussions have plans of being a viral statement and call to action leading up to a string of local elections in the State of Georgia. Discussions are moderated by the founders of Politicking a mobile application dedicated to improving and galvanizing the millennial vote by providing information about micro and macro politics.  The link to the app is www.politickingapp.com and follow the hashtag #VoiceYourVote and follow Instagram  @politicking. To follow events hosted by Community Leader Daniel in ATL follow this link.

Coming Soon:

  • Sacramento, California
  • Columbus, Ohio

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Author, Shaquana Boykin

 

NVRD

Are you ready to vote? 🗳

Today is #NationalVoterRegistrationDay! — the day to register to vote (or double check your registration) and make sure your families and friends are registered.

Read our Full September 22nd newsletter here for voting tools and more!

NVRD

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OYUnited: Black Lives Matter – PERIOD!

“OYUnited stands with all of you and the Black Lives Matter movement in the fight for equity and justice.”

This issue of OYUnited’s e-newsletter addresses the Black Lives Matter Movement and how we aim to rise, show up, use our voices, and mostly importantly, take action.

Read the full archived June 8 newsletter here.

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