DC Youth and Young Adult Update 11-01-2024

By NYEC | November 1, 2024

 

 

News at NYEC: 

  • Join the National Youth Employment Coalition’s 2025 Annual Forum- Empowering Youth, Transforming Communities, in Minneapolis, MN, from May 12-14, 2025! This event will gather practitioners, youth advocates, and community leaders to explore key topics like youth leadership, holistic supports, living wage employment, and policy & advocacy. 
  • WIOA Programs can Help Participants Register to Vote: As we approach the 2024 election, NYEC wants to remind its members that the Department of Labor (DOL) issued guidance in 2022 sharing that programs receiving WIOA funds may engage in voter registration activities. Specifically, DOL stated that the following partners of American Job Centers may engage in such activities: WIOA Title I Youth, YouthBuild, Indian and Native American, National Farmworker, and Reentry Employment Opportunities programs and Job Corps operators.  

Legislative Branch: 

  • Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) Join the Bipartisan Opportunity Youth Caucus: With Congresswoman DeLauro joining on, the Bipartisan Opportunity Youth Caucus now has 6 members, including Caucus co-chairs Congresswoman Michelle Steel (R-CA) and Congressmen Troy Carter (D-LA), Danny Davis (D-IL), John James (R-MI) and Burgess Owens (R-UT). This is an incredibly exciting development as we collectively work to build the Caucus’ membership! If you would like to ask your Congressperson to join the Caucus, please reach out to nathan.hora@nyec.org! 

Executive Branch: 

  • 2025-2026 White House Fellowship: Founded in 1964, the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships is the Nation’s premier program for leadership and public service. The White House Fellowship offers exceptional Americans first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the Federal Government on a strictly non-partisan basis. Selected individuals spend one year in Washington, D.C., working as full-time paid government employees, aiding Cabinet Secretaries, senior White House staff, and other top-ranking government officials. Applications are due January 3, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. ET. 

 

Federal Funding Opportunities: 

  • FY 2025 National Infrastructure Investments: The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 authorized and appropriated $1.5 billion to be awarded by the Department of Transportation for Local and Regional Project Assistance Program Grants under National Infrastructure Investments. This Notice of Funding Opportunity  solicits applications for projects funded under the Local and Regional Project Assistance Program, known as the RAISE Grants program. Applications are due January 30, 2025.  

 

Previously Shared 

  • SBA Grant: Microloan Program – National Training Conference: Grants are intended to be awarded to experienced microlending organizations and national and regional nonprofit organizations that have demonstrated experience in providing training support for microenterprise development to assist SBA in conducting a national training conference for Intermediaries participating in the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Microloan Program to ensure that such Intermediaries have the knowledge, skills, and understanding of microlending practice necessary to operate successful SBA microloan programs. Applications are due November 8, 2024.   
  • National Rural Transit Assistance Program: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the opportunity to apply for $3,250,723 in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Rural Transportation Assistance Program funds through a competitive cooperative agreement award. FTA is soliciting proposals under the agency’s Formula Grants for Rural Areas Program to select an entity to administer a National Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP). The National RTAP will carry out activities to design and implement training and technical assistance projects and other support services tailored to meet the specific needs of transit operators in rural areas, including tribal transit services. Applications due November 12, 2024. 
  • High School Equivalency Program: The HEP is designed to assist migratory or seasonal farmworkers (or immediate family members of such workers) to obtain the equivalent of a secondary school diploma and subsequently to gain improved employment, enter military service, or be placed in an institution of higher education (IHE) or other postsecondary education or training. Applications will be available on September 3, 2024 and will close November 15, 2024. 
  • DOL Grant: Workforce Pathways for Youth – Rounds 4 and 5: The applicant must be a national OST non-profit (501(c)(3)) organization, that proposes to serve youth that have been historically underserved and marginalized.  For purposes of this funding announcement, a national organization is defined as an organization that has affiliates operating in at least three states. Applications are due December 3rd, 2024. 
  • Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 AmeriCorps State and National Competitive Grants: AmeriCorps grants are awarded to eligible organizations that engage AmeriCorps members in evidence-based or evidence-informed interventions to strengthen communities. AmeriCorps members may receive a living allowance and other benefits. After successful completion of their service, members earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award they can use to pay for higher education expenses or apply to qualified student loans. Applications are due by January 23, 2025. 
  • Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Program: The purpose of the PROTECT Program is to provide grants on a competitive basis for projects that seek to strengthen surface transportation to be more resilient to natural hazards, including climate change, sea level rise, heat waves, flooding, extreme weather events, and other natural disasters through support of planning activities, resilience improvements, community resilience and evacuation routes, and at-risk costal infrastructure. Applications are due February 24, 2025. 
  • Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant: The Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant programs provide funding for rural projects through local utility organizations. USDA provides zero-interest loans to local utilities which they in turn, pass through to local businesses (ultimate recipients) for projects that will create and retain employment in rural areas. Applications are due June 30, 2025. 

From The States: 

  • Ohio: To boost the additive manufacturing workforce, America Makes has teamed up with CAST Inc. to launch AMJobs, a new digital tool connecting people with careers in the field. This platform, funded by the Ohio Department of Development, aims to support industry growth by fostering talent development and providing easy access to a wide range of additive manufacturing jobs. 
  • Alabama: A new study by the Whitley personal injury law firm in North Carolina has found Alabama to be among the safer states for young workers. The study, which analyzed Bureau of Labor Statistics data on workplace accidents and fatalities, ranked Alabama 12th in the nation. Between 2011 and 2022, there were 29 workplace deaths in Alabama. Maine topped the list as the safest state for young workers with 0.37 deaths per 100,000 annually, followed by Rhode Island (0.44) and Delaware (0.49). Alaska had the highest rate with 7.44 deaths per 100,000 young workers. 

For The Youth: 

  • New Deal 4 Youth’s Voter Guide, For Youth By Youth: On behalf of New Deal for Youth (ND4Y), we are excited to share their latest youth-driven initiative aimed at empowering young voters: their California Propositions, Washington DC, Georgia, and Puerto Rico Youth Voter Guides, crafted by youth, for youth.   

Resources:  

  • A 50-State Scan of Workforce Development Best Practices: State-level policymakers are doubling down on workforce development strategies to address the challenges of a volatile labor market and high demand in key sectors. A new analysis from the Center for American Progress offers a comprehensive look at workforce development best practices, drawing on a 50-state review of legislation from 2023 and 2024. The analysis covers 10 key policy areas, such as registered apprenticeships, career pathways, support services, and strategies for critical industries, with specific examples from states across the country. 
  • The Future Workforce Must Prioritize Both Opportunity And Equity: Despite the uncertainties of COVID-19, the wave of Baby Boomer retirements, and the rise of artificial intelligence, Central Massachusetts business leaders remain optimistic about the future of work. Worcester’s chief development officer Peter Dunn highlights the potential of biomanufacturing, clean tech, and robotics, citing the region’s strong academic institutions like WPI as a key advantage. While a recent study showed a statewide slowdown in biomanufacturing, Central Massachusetts has actually seen job growth in this sector. 
  • Five Communities Seek Dedicated Funding for Kids on the November Ballot:   This resource highlights efforts in five cities and counties with upcoming ballot measures that could establish dedicated funding for children’s services. If passed, these measures have the potential to direct up to $153.8 million toward essential services, including child care, youth mental health support, and out-of-school programs. The article provides a detailed overview of these initiatives and their potential impact on children and familie
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