In the aftermath of the George Floyd killing, BSA's work has taken on even greater urgency. Its innovative, 36-week Civic Leadership and Engagement program enhances youth voice, builds youth power, creates a safe space for youth of color to engage, gain advocacy skills, develop a youth-led policy agenda, and shift the culture of DC policymaking so that it is more inclusive of youth of color leadership. The end goal is nothing less than racial equity and systemic change. Of course, COVID-19 has forced a shift from in-person to virtual meetings and from direct action organizing to thinking strategically about what a youth-led/youth-centered digital organizing strategy might be. Education inequity, criminalization, trauma, and poverty will likely be more pressing in our post-COVID world. The time frame for social distancing is uncertain; what is certain is the heightened need for organizing in this moment.
Learn More
