DC Youth and Young Adult Update 02-21-2025

By NYEC | February 21, 2025

 

 

 

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.  
  • Fill out a 6-month Federal Advocacy Calendar! Interested in being more engaged in federal advocacy? The hyperlinked title will direct you to a JotForm that lists concrete steps that you can take in the first 6 months of the year to build a relationship with your Members of Congress! NYEC will make it easy to complete each goal of every month by sharing support, reminders, and more!  
  • OMB Federal Funding Freeze: Experiencing Issues or Have Questions? Contact us! On January 27th, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo requiring all agencies to temporarily pause disbursement of federal assistance and submit to OMB information on impacted programs by February 10. By January 29th, the memo was rescinded after a federal judge temporarily blocked the action. The National Council for Nonprofits has since filed a lawsuit against the OMB over the guidance, as have State Attorneys General. The White House released a Q&A sheet to clarify confusion surrounding the guidance, which can be found here. If your program has been impacted, we encourage you to reach out to [email protected] to share any information, and NYEC will continue to provide new information as we receive it. 

Legislative Branch:  

  • 119th Congressional Committee Updates: 
  • Rep. Sherrill Reintroduces Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Job Opportunities for New Jersey Young Adults: Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) reintroduced the bipartisan Strengthening Communities through Summer Employment Act, or H.R. 1434. This legislation will drive federal funding into New Jersey to help support summer employment programs for teenagers and young adults, which will set them up for future careers, help them gain important workforce skills, and improve public safety in our communities. The legislation is co-sponsored by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01). The full bill text has not been released yet. 
  • Rep. Bilirakis Introduces H.R.1282: Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) introduced H.R. 1282, which aims to prohibit Federal funding for institutions of higher education that carry out diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and for other purposes. The full bill text has not been released yet. 
  • Rep. Foushee Introduces H.R.1409: Congresswoman Valerie Foushee (NC-04) introduced H.R.1319, which aims to direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a grant program for skills-for-success courses for all first-year students enrolled at certain institutions of higher education. The full bill text has not been released yet. 

Executive Branch:  

  • U.S. Department of Education Directs Schools to End Racial Preferences: The U.S. Department of Education has sent a Dear Colleague Letter to educational institutions receiving federal funds notifying them that they must cease using race preferences and stereotypes as a factor in their admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, sanctions, discipline, and beyond. Institutions that fail to comply may, consistent with applicable law, face investigation and loss of federal funding. The Department will begin assessing compliance beginning no later than 14 days from issuance of the letter.  

Federal Funding Opportunities with upcoming deadlines: 

No new federal funding opportunities 

Previously Shared  

  • DOJ Grant: OJJDP FY25 Juvenile Justice System Reform and Reinvestment Initiative: This funding opportunity seeks to support states’ implementation of innovative and/or research-based, data-informed policies to improve juvenile justice system outcomes and sustainable strategies for reinvesting resulting costs saved or averted into effective juvenile justice prevention and intervention programs. Applications due March 3, 2025. 
  • DOJ Grant: OJJDP FY25 National Mentoring Resource Center: This funding opportunity seeks to build on OJJDP’s history and leadership in mentoring by providing the mentoring field and practitioners with comprehensive resources and training materials on the OJJDP National Mentoring Resource Center website. Applications due March 3, 2025. 
  • DOJ Grant: OJJDP FY25 National Mentoring Programs: This funding opportunity seeks to enhance and expand mentoring services for youth who are at risk or high risk for juvenile delinquency, victimization, and juvenile justice system involvement. Applications due March 5, 2025. 
  • DOJ Grant: OJJDP FY25 Strategies To Support Children Exposed to Violence: This funding opportunity seeks to provide funding to communities to develop coordinated and comprehensive community-based approaches to help children and their families who are exposed to violence (CEV) build resilience, restore their safety, heal their social and emotional wounds, and prevent future violence and delinquency. Applications are due March 10, 2025.  
  • DOJ Grant: OJJDP FY25 Regional Children’s Advocacy Centers Program: This program furthers DOJ’s mission by supporting and strengthening four regional children’s advocacy centers (CACs) that will deliver coordinated training and technical assistance within and across the regions to CACs, members of multidisciplinary teams, programs, and organizations to improve the investigation and prosecution of child abuse and neglect and the provision of children’s advocacy center services to child victims and their families. Applications are due March 12, 2025. 
  • HHS Grant: Statewide Family Network: The purpose of this program is to provide resources to enhance the capacity of statewide mental health family-controlled organizations to support, train, and mentor family members/primary caregivers who are raising children, youth, and young adults with serious emotional disturbance (SED) and/or co-occurring disorders (COD). Applications due March 17, 2025. 
  • FY25 U.S. Department of Justice Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation: This Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) funding opportunity seeks to provide funding to improve public safety and victim services in tribal communities. CTAS provides federally recognized tribes and tribal consortia an opportunity to apply for funding to aid in developing a comprehensive and coordinated approach to public safety. Applications are due March 18, 2025.  
  • USDA Grant: Youth Farm Safety Education and Certification: Youth Farm Safety Education and Certification (YFSEC) Program for Fiscal Year 2025 supports national efforts to deliver timely, pertinent, and appropriate farm safety education to youth seeking employment or already employed in agricultural production. Applications are due March 20, 2025. 
  • DOJ Grant: Building a Community of Practice for Women in Strategic Trade: This grant exists to create a professional network and community of practice to advance women working in strategic trade through sustained mentorship. Experienced international strategic trade experts and practitioners will guide early- or mid-career women in the strategic trade field through a sustained six-month mentorship. Applications are due March 25, 2025. 
  • DOJ Grant: BJA FY25 STOP School Violence Program: This funding opportunity aims to support school safety by implementing solutions to enhance school climate, establish school-based behavioral threat assessment and intervention teams to identify violence risks, introduce technologies like anonymous reporting tools, and apply other evidence-based strategies to prevent violence. Applications are due March 27, 2025. 
  • DOJ Grant: BJA FY25 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program: This funding opportunity seeks to fund programs that support collaborations to improve public safety responses and outcomes for people with mental health disorders (MHDs) or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders (MHSUDs). The goal is to improve safety and well-being for adults with MHDs (including people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)) or MHSUDs who come into contact with the criminal justice system. Applications are due April 3, 2025. 
  • DOJ Grant: OVW Fiscal Year 2025 Grants to Indian Tribal Governments Program: The Grants to Indian Tribal Governments Program, referred to as the Tribal Governments Program, assists Tribal governments (or their authorized designees) to respond to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking, and stalking in Tribal communities. Applications are due April 8, 2025.  
  • DOJ Grant: NIJ FY25 Graduate Research Fellowship: This funding opportunity seeks to support doctoral students whose dissertation research is relevant to preventing and controlling crime, advancing knowledge of victimization and effective victim services, or ensuring the fair and impartial administration of criminal or juvenile justice in the United States. Applications are due April 15, 2025.  
  • USDA Grant: Community Connect Grant Program: The Community Connect Grant Program provides financial assistance to eligible applicants that will provide service at or above the Broadband Grant Speed (100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up) to all premises in rural, economically-challenged communities where broadband service (10 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up) does not exist. Applications due April 21, 2025. 

From The States: 

  • California: At Farber Educational Center in Fresno, the arrival of the food bank truck signals action. Students in the new Logistics and Warehouse Management Program immediately begin unloading pallets brimming with food from the Central California Food Bank. This student-run operation tackles local food insecurity by sorting and organizing thousands of pounds of supplies. Instructor Jonathan Hinojosa emphasizes that the program aims to develop “life ready” individuals, not just career-ready ones. Their efforts culminate in a monthly “Farber’s Market,” a student-hosted, full-choice food pantry. Chanel Ruiz-Mendez, Director of Development at the Central California Food Bank, highlights the partnership as a natural extension of their workforce development program, fostering youth citizenship and community stewardship. 
  • Texas: Southeast Texas high school students will have the chance to explore career pathways and meet potential employers at the annual Youth Career Expo hosted by Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas. The event also connects students with training providers, government agencies, and military representatives. 

For The Youth: 

  • How To Network: For teenagers, building a strong network can unlock invaluable opportunities for personal, academic, and career advancement in today’s hyper-connected world. Discover strategies and tips for effective networking at MicroStartups.org. 
  • 11 Pieces of Career Advice for Young People: The early stages of your career are crucial for establishing habits and skills that will support your long-term goals. By focusing on personal and professional development and seeking guidance, you can make informed decisions that shape a successful future, and Indeed is here to help. 

Resources:  

  • Student Mental Health Toolkit: The Stigma-Free Mental Health Society, a Canadian charity since 2010, empowers young people on their mental wellness journey. They are excited to launch their Online Student Mental Health Toolkit, designed for students, educators, and parents to integrate mental health education into classrooms for Grades 4-12. 
  • Youth Opportunity Toolkit: The Youth Opportunity Toolkit is designed to help schools and youth-serving organizations recognize the value of youth social capital, assess their existing strategies, and adopt a process for continual enhancement. 
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