ResolutionNumber: 06
Year: 2003
Title:   NATIONAL YOUTH PROGRAM
Resolved:


WHEREAS youth is often defined as any persons aged 25 years or younger;

WHEREAS students make up roughly 80% of AIUSA activists;

WHEREAS there is no program or staff position within AIUSA with the sole purpose of addressing youth/student needs;

WHEREAS there was once a National Student Program in AIUSA;

WHEREAS instituting a new program would help to further engage students and youth in AIUSA decision making;


THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that there will be a staff position or a National Youth Program created or identified to advocate student and youth views within AIUSA and to support student and youth activism;

BE IT RESOLVED that this program or staff person will create youth specific materials and will work to engage youth within the decision making structure of AIUSA;

BE IT RESOLVED that there will be a steering committee, made up primarily of youth, appointed to help shape, advise and create the National Youth Program. This committee will be the Youth Action Committee.


Implementation: The Membership Mobilization Department is committed to better serving our youth activists. While we are exploring the possible hire of a Youth Coordinator in fiscal year ’04, our primary focus will be on enhanced programming, empowerment actions, and resource development. The goal is to insure that a thorough and effective “youth agenda” is designed and integrated into programming across programs and departments. Our goal will be to have a staff member serve as a lead advocate, as well as cultivate other advocates for youth issues within the organization and identify ways to engage and involve youth in the decision making structure in AIUSA.

In October of 2003 the MMD will sponsor a weekend-long summit for our Youth Action Committee. Our first-ever long-term youth strategy will result. The strategy will serve as a guide to AIUSA in further engaging youth within the decision-making structure of AIUSA, developing key resources and trainings, and assisting in determining the best format for a new, expanded advisory committee.


Update: This AGM Decision has been partially implemented. Although due to budgetary constraints it was not possible to hire a Youth Coordinator in FY’04, there has been significant momentum toward enhanced programming, empowerment actions, and resource development to support student and youth activism. Several youth specific materials are now in wide circulation, including the on-line newsletter Plugged In (its circulation increased from 7,689 in July 2003 to 11,320 in January 2004) and a youth recruitment brochure. In October 2003, the Membership Mobilization Department sponsored a weekend-long youth summit. Shortly after the youth summit a Youth Action Committee was formed that is comprised of a cross section of summit participants. The Committee is currently drafting a youth strategic plan that will address the following areas:

§ the creation of a student and youth program that has unique servicing options for high school and college/university groups;

§ action and education as it applies to youth;

§ recruitment and growth of youth activism;

§ retention and transition of youth activists;

§ integration and full participation of youth activists.

The strategic plan is scheduled to be completed by the end of February 2004 at which point it will be the responsibility of the DED of MMD to decide how it is operationalized. Appointed youth-specific staff/program is pending until funding is allocated in the budget.