(Washington, DC) — Dozens of youth leaders from organizations across the District will visit the DC Council this Friday to share their experiences and policy priorities with lawmakers and their staff. The Youth Advocacy Day is taking place as Mayor Bowser finalizes her proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget and the Council prepares to consider it this spring. The advocacy day will be led by DC Action and its Youth Advisory Team (YAT), along with representatives from six youth organizations. Youth leaders will advocate directly to policy makers about the issues that matter most to them, including: increase housing options for youth experiencing homelessness, fully funding out-of-time programming for all youth across the District, safe spaces and accessible mental health solutions for youth, expanding youth career pathway opportunities and a continued commitment to making public facilities accessible for programming led by community-based organizations.
Who: 15+ youth leaders from the DC Action Youth Advisory Team (YAT) and GlobalKids, DC Girls Coalition, Sash Bruce YouthWorks, and Mikva Challenge. Media trained youth will be available throughout the day for comment and interview.
When: Friday, March 13, 2026; 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Where: John A. Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW)
Why: Young people and their adult allies aim to ensure youth needs and perspectives are centered in this year’s budget and policy making process.
“Young people bring lived experience and powerful insight into the challenges facing District youth,” said Kawanza Billy, Senior Youth Advocacy & Engagement Manager at DC Action. “These meetings help build relationships between youth and policymakers while ensuring youth voices are included in decision-making. Our Youth Advisory Team members are already community leaders, and this advocacy helps them strengthen their skills, expand their networks, and drive meaningful change in their communities.”
Background on DC Action’s Advisory Team
Building on decades of advocacy for the District’s young people, in 2024, DC Action launched its Youth Advisory Team with a cohort of motivated and civic-minded young District residents (ages range from 13-24) to create sustained opportunities for youth leadership in policy advocacy. The team meets twice a month to plan campaigns and learn the ins and outs of nonprofit advocacy work, including communications, community engagement, government relations, and organizing. The team also works directly with DC Action staff and partners to discuss academic and career goals and receive mentoring on professional development topics.
The Youth Advisory Team has discussed youth homelessness on a WPGC (99.5) radio show, led youth town halls and youth summits, and testified at DC Council hearings. Team member Jani Cousins published a DC Line op-ed, and several team members have been quoted in the Washington Informer and on WUSA Channel 9.