Empower 6 Young NYC Social Justice Policy Fellows!

We’re so proud of our Youth Policy Fellows! Our inaugural cohort graduated on Thursday, May 3rd and shared their powerful advocacy projects to a room full of community partners, family, and friends. These six policy fellows presented on issues ranging from police brutality to resources for LGBTQ+ youth to navigating ICE and immigrant identity for young people in a post-Trump society. Their passion and commitment to making their communities stronger was contagious, and the fellows shared that they feel they are walking away from this fellowship with the tools and support to continue their advocacy projects in college and beyond!

We continued the celebration of these young advocates on a leadership retreat with Wide Angle Vision LLC the following weekend! The fellows joined forces with the young fathers of RAP's Young Fatherhood Initiative and program staff to have our teamwork and grit tested on the Appalachian Trail. Through trust building activities, waterfall climbs, and energetic games of "goose golf" (check out the photos!), we came away with a deeper passion for our work, a deeper bond with each other, and tons of great memories. We're all feeling rejuvenated and ready to keep up the work of healing ourselves, our communities, and pushing for change. We can't wait to do it again!

The incredible success of this program and transformation of these young leaders could not have been possible without YOUR support! Your contribution has been an integral piece to advancing the work of centering the voices of young people in the fight for social jutice. You can continue that support by joining us to honor the Youth Policy Fellows at RAP's upcoming annual event, 10 Years of Resilience: Honoring Leaders of Today! You can learn more about the event by following RAP on social media and you can purchase your early-bird tickets at bit.ly/RAPturns10. We hope to see you there!