With banners and harangues with which they demand that their voices be heard and that the work that the youth of New York City are doing to promote changes in their lives and in those of their communities not be ignored, dozens of teenagers stood this week next to the Mayor’s Office, to send a clear message to the Municipal Administration: they are ready to sit down at the table with the politicians of the Big Apple to be taken into account, and to ensure that immediate solutions are implemented to their main needs.
This was stated by youth leaders from different corners of New York, after presenting the so-called ‘Youth Agenda’, a document that resulted after months of surveys, analysis and data collection among young people and students from marginalized communities, mostly blacks, Latinos and immigrants, where they not only point out the main injustices and inequities they have suffered, but also offer solutions and recommendations punctual.
The proposal for actions, which was prepared by the Intergenerational Change Initiative and the Department of Youth and Community Development, highlights five points, which require prioritization by the City Council and Mayor Eric Adams immediately in the budget currently being discussed.
In its roadmap to address the crisis facing the panorama of a large part of the almost 2 million young people under 16 years estimated to live in the five counties of the Big Apple, representing the 19% of the total population, it is mainly urgent to resolve the homelessness of thousands of adolescents and invest more resources to fight against homelessness and connect them with higher education.
“There are many problems such as mental health, education. We don’t have good food, people don’t have homes, and that’s why we want to talk to the people who have power in this city, so that they listen to our voice, because we do matter and the future will depend on what is done today. of everyone tomorrow”, assured José Grullón, a student of 000 degree in the Bronx, who sent a direct message to the local president: “Mayor, give us more opportunities to young people, help us get ahead and sit down with young people so that they listen to us, and we can find solutions together. We know that with more programs and jobs, more young people can be kept away from negative things and violence”.
The youth leader also mentioned that the youth action platform requires ensuring that all young people have access to healthy food, address mental health needs, promote economic security through access to youth employment opportunities, financial literacy and college readiness, and expand funding and opportunities to promote greater civic engagement education and leadership.
They ask to join and make their voices heard
Claudia Infante, student of 11 grade, in Queens, who demonstrated singing rap, asked the New Yorkers your age who join the clamor and assert their voices, in order to see prompt transformations.
“We want to see changes in our community. We have too many problems that we want to solve, mainly housing and education for young people, and seeing that they are not giving us the help we need, we are here raising our voice so that they listen to us and pay attention to us”, said the Dominican from 16 years.
The Colombian Edward Sánchez, of 18 years, highlighted that for months they had been working on the elaboration of their proposals, speaking first-hand with students and minors in vulnerable communities, and asked not to dismiss these findings on deaf ears.
“We have a solution plan that we are presenting here and that we want it to be heard when making important decisions, where we are included, because now they do have to hear us,” said the young political science student at Baruch College, res Noting that the COVID pandemic has exacerbated injustices and inequities in communities of color. “We want to be able to work with legislators to achieve transformations and demonstrate the power of working together”.
“They are proposing real solutions”
The president of the Borough of Manhattan, Mark Levine, joined the youth’s claim and took the opportunity to make a call to the political leaders of the City, emphasizing that it is time to give true value to their voices and take into account their proposals to have a better Big Apple.
“What we see is a way of showing those who say that young people don’t care about anything and that they are apathetic, they are very wrong. This shows us the leadership that exists among young people, it shows that now more than ever they are strong and after having identified the deepest problems of the city, they cannot be ignored”, assured the county chief. “They are proposing real solutions. Now it’s about us adults listening to them and working to implement those solutions”.
Councilwoman Althea Stevens, president of the Youth Services Committee of the Municipal Council, declared herself an ally of the youth cause and warned that since their position will promote that the Youth Agenda be heard and executed.
“When young people speak, I listen and tell them that as young people they are part of this conversation and will be heard and taken into account in decision-making, because we cannot leave this in just words”, said the political leader of the Bronx. “Young people are not the future, they are now, and our job and responsibility is to approve and implement what they need and resolve what affects them today, not tomorrow.”
Municipal Comptroller Brad Lander , also gave his support to young people and mentioned that the Municipal Government must take immediate steps in favor of adolescents, which will help the effective recovery of communities.
“Young people have done a profound job revealing what is happening in their communities and issuing recommendations, which we have to listen to, and if there is a time when we should listen to young people, it is today, especially after everything they have gone through with this pandemic,” said the official, warning that it is the responsibility of the City guarantee basic protections to minors. “Not everyone has something basic like housing. Thousands of children live in abandonment and we are not giving them what they need”.
Assemblyman Harvey Epstein took advantage of the demonstration to invite young people to also knock on the doors of the State Legislature so that their voice echoes in Albany.
“In Albany we manage a budget of 225,02 millions and my message to young people it’s for them to keep fighting for the issues they need, telling elected officials. You have to call them, keep calling them and also call the Governor (Kathy Hochul) and tell her to show that youth matter. We need her to push them too”, said the politician.
At the close of this edition, the Administration of Mayor Eric Adams did not refer to the demands of young people.
The 5 points of the Youth Agenda in NYC
- 1. Solve the problems of homelessness, preventing homelessness, increasing resources for students in homes and expanding help for homeless youth to get to college.
- 3.Address the needs of youth mental health, by investing in community organizations, social services, and annual youth programs.
- 4.Promote economic security and mobilize youth, through access to youth employment opportunities, financial literacy, college readiness, and the development of other life skills.
- Approximately 2 million New Yorkers are youth under the age of 11 years
- 20.5% of New Yorkers are minors and teenagers.
- 5.46% of them have between 15 and 19 years.
- 6.28% have between 19 and 24 years
- 5.82% have between 10 and 14 years.
- 6.5% of New Yorkers are children under the age of 5 .
- 54% of young people believe that having affordable housing would improve their communities
- 28,000 of them live in shelters.
- 39% from I know homeless students did not graduate last year.
- 19% of young people had a lack of food after the COVID pandemic.
- 10% of young New Yorkers stated they often go hungry.
- 42% of the youth with mental health needs received therapy.9602
2.Ensure that all New York City youth have sustained access to healthy food in affordable ways.
96025.Expand funds, communication and opportunities, to participate in leadership programs, voting, civic participation, organizations, participatory budgeting and community meetings.
Youth in NYC in numbers
960228% of NYC youth do not feel e Hope to afford a home when they grow up.
- 54% of NYC students who are or have been homeless are Black and Latino.
960280,000 children and adolescents were homeless last year.