I supervised the team of youth and New Democracy Fellows who organized this event. I also created all outreach materials.

In New York City, immigrant youth and young people who are children of immigrants are poised to become a powerful force in reshaping the city’s communities and political landscape. New York is home to roughly 400,000 immigrant youth aged to 18 to 25, and there are some 255,000 children of immigrants aged 16 to 24 who are eligible to become first-time voters in New York in 2008.

On November 16, 2007, a youth-led coalition convened by the NYIC held the Youth 2 Youth forum, which was attended by over 200 high school and college-aged young people representing 41 different high schools and community organizations. The event featured five successful workshops planned and led by youth, led to ten-minute radio interviews with youth organizers on WBAI and Air America, and attracted media including NY1/NY1 Noticias, World Journal and Dave’s Crib Hip-Hop TV.

The Youth 2 Youth forum has generated significant momentum for NYIC youth organizing, and created a structure that can support citywide, multi-issue organizing among immigrant youth. The youth-led, multi-issue organizing practiced by Youth 2 Youth has delivered the following outcomes:

• Set up a structure to educate the public about the concerns and accomplishments of immigrant youth

 

• Fostered a sense of unity among youth from diverse communities

 

• Created permanent alliances among youth networks in various communities, identified common issues and developed a shared agenda for youth issue advocacy