DC Youth and Young Adult Update 7-05-2024

By Stephanie Losada | July 5, 2024

 

  • News at NYEC: 
    • NYEC’s Youth Days Will Take Place September 11-13. We invite practitioners, community and organization leaders, and young people to join us in Washington, DC to advocate for Opportunity Youth at the federal level! This year’s event features a dynamic mix of virtual preparation and in-person interaction in Washington, DC. The virtual advocacy training sessions begin in August, so reserve your spot now! If you are new to policy and advocacy or a skilled advocate, you want to join us! We have a limited number of slots, so please register soon! More details, including virtual preparation session descriptions and dates and a detailed agenda for the in-person event, can be found in the hyperlinked title! 
    • Recruit Your Representative to the Bipartisan Opportunity Youth Caucus! We are calling on NYEC members to recruit your Representative to the Bipartisan Opportunity Youth Caucus (BOYC)! NYEC staff continue to meet with key Congressional offices to ask that they join the BOYC, which will promote research and policies to support young people ages 16-24 who face barriers to employment or education and are at-risk of experiencing disconnection – also referred to as Opportunity Youth. As of today, Co-chairs Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA) and Rep. Troy Carter (D-LA), and Rep. Don Davis (D-NC) are the three members of the BYOC. Please ask your Representative to join the Bipartisan Opportunity Youth Caucus by using this template! If you would like assistance preparing for the meeting or would like to discuss it further, please contact nathan.hora@nyec.org. 
    • Senate HELP Committee Releases WIOA Discussion Draft: The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions released a bipartisan Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) discussion draft, marking a significant step forward in Congresses’ attempt to reauthorize WIOA. Below, we list some highlights from the discussion draft related to opportunity youth. A discussion draft is a draft bill, where Committee staff solicit feedback from stakeholders, like you! The discussion draft can be found in the hyperlinked title. If you would like to submit comments to the Committee, you may do so by following this template and sending them to wioa@help.senate.gov by Friday, July 5th at 5:00pm ET.   

    Highlights: 

    • Renames the term out-of-school youth with ‘Opportunity Youth’ and incorporates youth experiencing homeless, foster care youth, and justice involved youth as opportunity youth (ages 16-24); 
    • Requires local workforce boards to create a standing committee focused on youth (opportunity youth would be required members of the Committee); 
    • Requires state plans to include an analysis of the opportunity youth population in the state; 
    • Requires local plans to include an analysis of the OY population in the area and their service needs; 
    • Maintains current 75/25 opportunity youth/in-school youth funding ratio (the passed House version of this bill, reduced it to 65/35); 
    • Requires that 10% of the youth funding formula go towards youth apprenticeships; 
    • Increases the waiver authority for spending on OY from 50-60% (so if a state would like a waiver on negotiating the amount of youth funds that go to OY, 60% is the lowest they can go);  
    • Authorizes Youth Individual Training Accounts (ITAs) for in-school youth over the age of 18; 
    • Dedicates 30% of youth funding to go to work experience, 1/3 of which must go to apprenticeships or pre-apprenticeships; 
    • Streamlines the determination of homeless or foster youth status to match the process described in section 479D of the Higher Education Act; and 
    • Creates a new competitive grant program to develop or expand existing pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs that serve youth. 

     

    Executive Branch: 

    • The House Appropriations Committee Will Hold a Full Committee Markup of Fiscal Year 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bills: On July 10th, the House Appropriations Committee will hold a full committee markup of the draft appropriations bill for the subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies for fiscal year 2025. The draft appropriations bill halved funding for the Reentry Opportunity Program and the Apprenticeship Program and eliminated funding for WIOA Youth Training. NYEC is alarmed by these proposals and is working to educate lawmakers on the importance of supporting these federal programs. Now is the time to contact your members in the House to educate them on the importance of these programs. If you need contact information for your Representative’s staffer, please contact Nathan at nathan.hora@nyec.org.   
    • White House Meets on Expanding Access to Free Community College: The Biden-Harris Administration met with state leaders to discuss the initiative to increase access to free community college. The Administration emphasized that lowering student costs directly increased enrollment rates and that community colleges are leaders in preparing workers for careers.  
    • Biden-Harris Administration Announces Twelve New Tech Hub: The twelve new Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs are intended to create new jobs in underinvested parts of America in-demand sectors, including clean energy, semiconductors, and biotechnology. The implementation of these hubs will invest in opportunities for rural and disadvantaged communities. 
      • The following organizations will be leading the Tech Hubs in their respective regions:  
      • Elevate Quantum Tech Hub, led by Elevate Quantum, will serve Colorado and New Mexico. 
      • Headwaters Hub, led by Accelerate Montana, will serve Montana. 
      • Heartland BioWorks, led by the Applied Research Institute, will serve Indiana. 
      • iFAB Tech Hub, led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, will serve Illinois. 
      • Nevada Tech Hub, led by the University of Nevada, Reno, will serve Nevada. 
      • NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub, led by CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity, will serve New York. 
      • ReGen Valley Tech Hub, led by the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute, will serve New Hampshire. 
      • SC Nexus for Advanced Resilient Energy, led by the South Carolina Department of Commerce, will serve South Carolina and Georgia. 
      • South Florida ClimateReady Tech Hub, led by the Miami Dade County Office of Innovation and Economic Development, will serve Florida. 
      • Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub, led by the Greater Akron Chamber in Ohio, will serve Ohio. 
      • Tulsa Hub for Equitable & Trustworthy Autonomy (THETA Tech Hub), led by Tulsa Innovation Labs, will serve Oklahoma. 
      • Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub, led by BioForward Wisconsin, will serve Wisconsin.
    • The Health and Human Services Department Seeks Comment on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Work Outcomes Measures: The TANF program, which assists low-income families with children in achieving self-sufficiency, is looking for comments on its new evaluation measures including employment rate, employment retention rate, and higher education attainment rate. Comments are due on or before December 26, 2024.  
    • Department of Labor Announces Awardees for Growth Opportunities Grants: The Department of Labor announced the award of nearly $47 million in grants to 14 organizations to help overcome structural barriers and improve access to employment opportunities. These grants will support programs that provide jobs, skills training and supportive services, including leadership development and mentoring to prepare justice-involved youth and young people to succeed in the labor market. The following organizations received grants:  
      • Latino Coalition for Community Leadership, Bakersfield, CA 
      • County of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 
      • The Institute For Educational Leadership Inc., Washington, DC 
      • Key2Work Inc., Indianapolis, IN 
      • Goodwill Industries International Inc., Rockville, MD 
      • Roca Inc., Chelsea, MA 
      • YouthBuild USA Inc., Roxbury, MA 
      • Youth Development Inc., Albuquerque, NM 
      • National Urban League, New York, NY 
      • PathStone Corp., Rochester, NY 
      • Urban League of Rochester, NY Inc., Rochester, NY 
      • Social Enterprise and Training Center Inc., Schenectady, NY 
      • Family Health International, Durham, NC 
      • Austin Area Urban League Inc., Austin, TX 

    Federal Funding Opportunities: 

    From The States: 

    • New Law Helps Justice-involved Youth Graduate (Colorado): Colorado has become a national leader in educational equity by granting justice-involved youth a “bill of rights.” This groundbreaking law ensures that even when young people encounter legal challenges, they can continue their education without interruption. By removing barriers to graduation, Colorado aims to drastically improve the life trajectories of the nearly 6,500 youth who enter the justice system each year. Students, parents, educators, and lawmakers celebrated this historic milestone at a recent bill signing ceremony at the State Capitol. 
    • Center Transforms Court-Involved Youth into High School Students (California): The former David V. Kenyon Juvenile Justice Center, once a symbol of South Los Angeles’ harsher past, now pulses with life as Chuco’s Justice Center. Since its transformation in 2019, the building has shed its grim history, replaced by vibrant murals, bustling classrooms, and a renewed sense of purpose. “Our focus is on moving youth from courtrooms to classrooms,” explained Emilio Zapién, Chuco’s media and communications director. Founded in 2003 by young adults who had firsthand experience with the juvenile justice system, the organization bears the name of slain youth organizer Jesse “Chuco” Becerra. Today, Chuco’s offers a lifeline to young people aged 16 to 25, many of whom were expelled from school and entangled with the law. This center has become a beacon of hope, providing a second chance to those seeking to rebuild their lives. 

    Resources: 

    • The Opioid Epidemic’s Impact on Native Communities (Webinar): The opioid epidemic has disproportionately impacted Native American communities, with overdose death rates significantly higher than the national average. Youth are particularly vulnerable to prescription drug abuse. This online seminar will explore the devastating effects of opioids on Indian Country and highlight effective strategies tribal communities are implementing to address this urgent crisis. 
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