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Blast From The Past These archives are for all the various front page stories that you've come to expect on the NYRA page. If you miss a current story check back here, it'll be archived. Also for novelties sake scroll down and see what NYRA was up to months and years ago. It's interesting to see how far we've come. December 16, 2007 Turn $10 into $50,000 with NYRA's Facebook Money Bomb on December 19th/20th From now till February 1 the Facebook Cause that receives donations from the highest number of people will get a $50,000 grant! Even 13th place gets $10,000. All you need to give is $10. More is, of course, welcome. Sign up for the cause here. In addition to the overall prize, the cause that has the most unique donors each day wins $1,000. NYRA has targeted December 19-20 as our day to win that $1,000. Recruit as many people as you can to give on that day (starting at 3 PM EST on the 19th and lasting till 3 PM EST on the 20th) and we will win this. All it takes is a $10 donation to count for the contest. Please help us win that $1,000. Many people have already pledged to participate, add your name to the list of members pledging to particpate here. Donate to help NYRA reach our $1,500 target for our year end fundraiser, get a tax-deduction, get membership dues and give via Facebook to win even more money for youth rights! Remember to donate here on December 19th/20th. November 2, 2007 NYRA Vice President Wins Battle Against Long Island Curfew NYRA's Vice-President, Stefan Muller has been leading a campaign against a Long Island, New York village's curfew ordinance. With the help of other concerned students and his local chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union, he has succeeded in getting a bill passed - by unanimous decision - to repeal the curfew, which would keep anyone under 19 off the street after 7pm on the nights of October 30 and 31. This bill is the latest success in a campaign Muller has waged since December of last year, beginning with a petition that gathered over 200 signatures in a matter of days. Though this bill does not apply to this year, a committee has been convened to spend the next year considering alternative solutions. Mr. Muller sits on that committee and, though it is possible a new curfew could be passed, his efforts against that eventuality will continue. In a recent article, Port Washington North's Mayor Weitzner doubted a curfew would resurface in the city. This is a tremendous victory for NYRA and youth rights and a demonstration that one person can be the catalyst for positive youth rights change. MADD Forms Pro-21 Coalition, Goes on Offensive In a surprising move, Mothers Against Drunk Driving formed a new coalition to support the existing 21-year-old drinking age. The new coalition held a press conference on October 9 seeking to go on the offensive against advocates for lowering the drinking age to 18 (i.e. NYRA and Choose Responsibility). The press conference earned NYRA additional media opportunities to make the case for 18. On October 9th, our own Executive Director Alex Koroknay-Palicz was featured on CNN's Situation Room. MADD President Glynn Birch claimed MLDA 21 "saves lives and protects young minds." Another MADD representative appealed to emotion, saying that she "knows personally the effects of underage drinking." Alex pointed out that "18-year-olds are mature and responsible enough to handle every aspect of adulthood ... It's absurd to have that double-standard," and advocated a change in the way America views and handles alcohol. Statistics quoted by the National Traffic Safety Board indicate that only 28% of young drivers killed in automobile accidents had been drinking and that of those 28%, only 23% - just a little over 6% - were actually over the .08 legal limit. As John McCardell of Choose Responsibility said, "If science is allowed to speak for itself, we must not listen selectively." Also speaking out on the issue of the drinking age was NYRA member and American soldier Robert Bertoniere Jr., who at age 20 was charged with being a "minor in possession" of alcohol after returning from a 10 month tour of duty in Afghanistan. He said in an interview with Northwestern University that "you can go overseas, you can die overseas, but you can't drink a beer - it's just backwards." Abusive Teen "Gulag Schools" Come Under Congressional Scrutiny On October 10, the U.S. Government Accountability Office reported on the findings of its investigating into so called "wilderness programs." Said Greg Kutz, managing director of forensic audits and special investigations, "If you walked in part way through my presentation, you might have assumed that I was talking about human rights violations in a third world country." There are currently no federal laws regulating these facilities, and many states - including most of the 33 states from which these charges come - do not require any form of licensing for them. The list of grievances found by the Office included examples of youth being forced to eat their own vomit, being beaten or thrown around, or forced to stand for hours in the sun - often while carrying or wearing weights or backpacks - by untrained or improperly trained personnel. At least ten deaths have already been brought to light so far, including those of 15-year-old Erica Harvey and of Aaron Bacon, both of whom died due to abuse or negligence by program staff, and of 14-year-old Ryan Lewis, who hung himself while under the "care" of such a facility in West Virginia. These are the barest fraction of the 1,619 incidents of abuse revealed to the Office during this hearing. The report was delivered to a Congressional investigative hearing called by Education and Labor Committee Chairman Representative George Miller (D-CA). An additional report is expected to be presented in February that probes deeper into the hundreds of reports of abuse at these facilities. The Committee is considering a bill introduced by Rep. Miller that would provide Federal oversight and regulation for these facilities. The hearing was an incredible victory for youth advocates. Watch the full hearing online. Read more about the committee hearing at the NYRA Blog. October 5, 2007 Chapter Spotlight: NYRA-Passaic County Formerly NYRA-Paterson, this New Jersey chapter has recently expanded to include all of Passaic County. They have been campaigning heavily against curfew laws, under the leadership of Prospect Park resident Fredrick Mutooni. Mr. Mutooni, a parent of two whose children are both active NYRA members, received 1500 votes in his recent bid for a council seat. As he said, “all candidates that supported curfew laws lost. [I]n Paterson there will never be a curfew.” Since the consolidation of Passaic County into one chapter, they have only been getting stronger. On Saturday, September 8th they had a recruitment drive in Prospect Park, and Mr. Mutooni’s daughter is currently working to start a chapter in her high school. A gallery from their recent Prospect Park outing is available here. More information on NYRA-Passaic County themselves can be found here. NYRA Download Section Unveiled September 13 marked the premiere of the new Downloads section of the NYRA homepage. As of the unveiling, 116 files were available. Users are invited to add their own documents to this resource, sharing valuable information with peers in the Youth Rights movement. Current sections include Papers & Research, Flyers & Handouts, Activist Toolkit, Audio, You(th)Tube (videos), Promotional Items, and Web Promotional Items. Flyers and other customizable documents are available in their original form, ready to be tailored to users' needs. Since the section went live there have been 811 total downloads from the section. The most popular file is a study done by researchers Thomas S. Dee and William N. Evans that shows there was no positive effect on drunk driving from raising the drinking age to 21. Recent additions include a youth rights collage for desktop backgrounds, a study showing juvenile’s competence to stand trial, an mp3 composition about Tranquility Bay, and a voting age talking points handout. Let Nothing Touch Me The fight against corporal punishment continues in the United States. California-based organization Parents and Teachers Against Violence in Education has taken up the cause, giving parents useful advice on what to do for their children when faced with violence from school officials. Executive Director Jordan Riak offers sound advice to the students themselves on how to be involved in their own defense. Read his statement on how to avoid corporal punishment here. If you are a student in a district that allows corporal punishment, please check out the link to know how to avoid being struck in school. Missouri Drinking Age Campaign Since June 15 of this year, Kansas City information technology expert Michael Mikkelsen has been waging a campaign in Missouri to lower the drinking age from 21 to 18. This began at the Ron Paul Presidential rally, and has since drawn national attention. His group, Missouri 18 to Drink, believes the measure would end the “black market subculture of binge drinking.” He admits they face an uphill battle, but is confident his volunteers will be able to rally the 131,181 signatures necessary to put the question on the ballot. No Federal law prohibits a state from having a drinking age less than 21, though a strongarm law is in place that would cost the state an estimated $50 million dollars in federal highway funds – of which only about $11 million would be made up in sales and excise taxes. The campaign needs your help, get involved here. MA Voting Age Campaign In August, Harwich High School teacher John Dickson and his Advanced Placement government class began an ambitious project: lowering the voting age in Massachusetts from 18 to 16. Student Matt van Gelder explains, "If you start voting early while you are at home and involved, you're more likely to vote in the future." Now that their Amendment to the state constitution has been submitted, they must gather an initial volley of 66,593 signatures of registered voters in order to advance toward the 2008 ballot. As Mr. Dickson has not been recently in the news, progress is difficult to track at the present time. September 11, 2007 New Board, New Officers One of the first actions of any new board of directors is to appoint its officers. NYRA is no exception. In the ever important first board meeting of the 2007 - 2008 cycle new officers were appointed to their respective positions. The Presidency was attained by Adam King from North Carolina who has been until now Vice President of NYRA. Chip Sinton from Florida and who lost the election to the board, became Treasurer for this year. Katrina Moncure, Chapter Formation Representative and board member for several years, from Maryland, became Secretary. Stefan Muller from New York and who just became a board member is Vice President. Together, they are the officers of NYRA for the 2007 - 2008 cycle. Finally, while not an officer position, new board member Yonaton Yares, has been appointed Communications Director. Read more about the NYRA officers here. August 17, 2007 Drinking Age Media Blitz On August 14, national news service MSNBC featured a headline on a topic central to NYRA: the debate to lower the drinking age. The full article and video, including a poll, are available online and include a tip of the hat to the National Youth Rights Association. Dozens of local TV and radio stations across the country have been in touch with NYRA over the last few days, giving us the opportunity to amplify our message out to hundreds of thousands of people across the country. Just to give you a quick run down of past, present and future coverage to show the scope of this explosion in media coverage, NYRA representatives have been interviewed on the radio in Portland, St. Louis, Reading, CA, San Diego, Seattle, Tuscon, AZ, Springfield, IL, Jacksonville, FL, Scottsdale, AZ, Hartford, CT, on TV in Jacksonville, FL, Orlando, FL, Las Vegas, Boise, ID, Greensboro, NC, Evansville, IN, New Orleans, New York City, and possibly a national broadcast on Telemundo next week. This is a surge in media coverage unprecedented in NYRA history, and the calls keep coming. This massive exposure for the organization is a sign that the tide may be turning in the battle to lower the drinking age. Even Mothers Against Drunk Driving is getting scared. They sent out a national alert yesterday in response to the surge of coverage for lowering the drinking age urging their members not to be swayed. But truth is on our side. The truth that lowering the drinking age will encourage moderate, responsible, and ultimately safer drinking in this country and respect the rights of young adults who have all the legal rights and responsibilities of adulthood at 18 but yet can’t drink legally. Win $1,000 for NYRA on Facebook with Zero Effort!! Excited about all this news coverage? Ready to get the drinking age lowered? Eager to change campus alcohol policies to sensible ones that that save lives, reduce the harm alcohol causes on campus, and respects student rights? Now is your chance! NYRA is competing for a $1,000 grant on Facebook. The proposal with the most votes by the end of the month wins $1,000, lets make sure it is NYRA! We are currently in second place and if all NYRA members and supporters vote and spread the word to all their friends, we can easily win this thing. Just follow this link, vote for our proposal, and promote this to everyone you know. The more the word spreads about this the better. NYRA has a real chance to win this grant and put the money toward improving campus alcohol policies that are currently ineffective, poison the educational atmosphere and in many cases make the problem worse. Please follow this link and vote for NYRA. Annual Meeting a Success The Annual Meeting, the weekend of July 28th, went just swimmingly. According to Executive Director Alex Koroknay-Palicz, the meeting was a great success, "The programs and workshops went splendidly. Everything ran smoothly and on time. No technical problems or disruptions or any other problems. I was quite impressed with how smoothly it was pulled off." So smooth and glitch-free was this meeting that our technical gurus were able to allow members to call in and listen to the proceedings live via telephone, allowing the largest potential attendance of any NYRA event. Several of the featured workshops have spawned much debate in the NYRA community, especially Chris Styskal's presentation on the offensive nature and use of the word "minor." Though we were unable to contact Chris himself for comments, there has been quite a buzz around this topic ever since, with members weighing in on both sides of the issue. The Annual Meeting marks only the second time that the new Washington, DC office has been opened to the community. The first was back in March, a simple open-house to let people see what our work and their kind and generous contributions had achieved. Behind the scenes, it was also a chance for NYRA members to meet, hang out, and generally have fun. View pics from the event here. Board Election results This election has been as exciting as always, and as much of a surprise as all elections are. Eleven candidates ran for nine seats in the Board of Directors this year. Incumbents Alex Koroknay-Palicz, Alex Hull-Richter, Adam King, Keith Mandell, and Katrina Moncure were all re-elected to their seats. The newly elected members of the 2007-2008 Board of Directors are Jessica Roeder, Yonathon Yares, and Adam Zarnowski. Two candidates fell short in these elections, Victoria Minerva, and Chip Sinton of NYRA-Orlando. To view the full election results, you can go here. June 25, 2007 NYRA Helps Defeat Earlier DC Curfew In a move meant to circumvent not only the freedom of Washington, DC's youth, but to circumvent the democratic process, city council members Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) and council member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) introduced an emergency resolution to lower the curfew time to 10 p.m. this summer (instead of 11 currently) and raise the age to 17 (instead of 16 currently). As emergency legislation this bill avoided the standard hearings and public comment that non-emergency bills have. With no crime emergency and no appeal for an earlier curfew from the police chief or mayor many council members recognized this as a ploy to avoid public participation. NYRA has a long history of opposing the DC curfew and organized large protests against the curfew when it first went into effect in 1999. NYRA once again was on the forefront of fighting this measure as we made a last minute mobilization against this bill. NYRA sent letters to all city council members and urged all areas members to do the same. We also spread the word to other business owners, youth groups and community leaders who hadn't heard about this bill because of the rushed and sneaky introduction of it. Thanks to the efforts of NYRA, the ACLU, and many concerned businesses and citizens this bill was voted down. With a vote of 7 in favor and 6 against it failed to reach the 9 votes needed to pass as emergency legislation. The most forceful opposition came from council member Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5) and council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large). Thomas said the curfew was creating a "state of apartheid" for D.C. youth. Many council members were opposed to the curfew altogether. This is a great victory for NYRA and a great victory for the rights of young people in Washington, DC. If you live in the DC area and are interested in organizing a chapter to fight the existing curfew law and be on guard for future bills that infringe on youth rights please contact us. Read the Washington Post article here. DC All-Ages Ban Defeated A bill that NYRA members have been working on for several months finally met with defeat at the hands of the DC City Council. Initially proposed in January by city council member Jim Graham (D – Ward 1), the initial bill would have effectively banned everyone under 21 from music venues, clubs, and other events in the city. After a vocal initial outcry Graham began hosting weekly workgroup meetings to discuss details of the bill with many different stake-holders in the city. NYRA attended half a dozen of these meetings and was able to work out many important compromises in the bill language. Ultimately though, the compromises did not go far enough and the bill would have still imposed unnecessary restrictions, penalties and burdens upon young people in and around Washington, DC. In early June the bill was tabled by the city council and many key provisions that NYRA opposed are unlikely to resurface. NYRA still strongly supports the over arching goal of the bill – to keep young people safe – and hopes that elements of the bill that improve safety for all DC residents without discriminating against and punishing young people should be passed by the council. Annual Meeting a Month Away – Remember to RSVP July 28-29 NYRA members from around the country will be in Washington, DC attending the 2007 NYRA Annual Meeting. This year’s event will have the most extensive collection of trainings and workshops yet. So far we are expecting workshops from Youth Venture, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, the Youth Policy Action Center, YouthACT and several from NYRA members and activists. Plus, as always, the Annual Meeting will feature the presentation of NYRA's Annual Report, strategy discussion for the year ahead, and final voting for the Board Election. Best yet Annual Meeting attendees get to be the first in the country to hear the election results! Since most of our members are scattered around the country this is the best chance to reconnect face-to-face with all the people you've worked with and talked with online. We will be gathering for informal events in the city in addition to the workshops and business at the Annual Meeting. Every year we have a lot of fun, so please come if you are able. Attendance is free. The schedule will be sent out once it is finalized, but be sure to RSVP so you can be certain you get all the details for attending. RSVP for the annual meeting here. NYRAthon ’07 a Success! Thanks to the generosity of our members, NYRA’s third annual spring fundraiser has been a great success! We set a target of $3,000 and from March through June we raised over $3,200. In total, 57 people contributed to make this year’s fundraiser successful. This money is essential for keeping NYRA running. Already this money has allowed us to begin work on a new student rights section of the website, helped stop the passage of two very anti-youth bills in Washington, DC, rally in front of the Supreme Court for free speech, begin planning a potential big drinking age campaign for the fall, and help educate thousands of people about youth rights. The winner of this year’s fundraising contest has decided to remain anonymous and will donate the contest prize back to the organization. Thank you everyone who contributed to make this year’s NYRAthon a success! April 17, 2007 New Book: The Case Against Adolescence A new book by Dr. Robert Epstein, The Case Against Adolescence: Rediscovering the Adult in Every Teen, argues that young people are more competent than most people think. Epstein’s research led him to the conclusion that teenagers are essentially as competent as adults, and treating them as children just leads to behavioral problems. Listen to a podcast with Dr. Epstein here. NYRA is very excited about this book, and expects it to enter the canon of important youth rights literature. Epstein has already attracted some serious publicity and will appear on The O'Reilly Factor on Friday, April 20. NYRA members are encouraged to tune in and write the show in support of Dr. Epstein. Dr. Epstein has developed a test to determine how "adult" you are. This test along with other substantial research prove that young people are far more competant than they are given credit for. Take the test yourself and discuss how you did at the NYRA Forums. We hope that his work will continue to challenge our society’s preconceived notions about young people. This book should certainly end up on the bookshelf of any serious youth rights activist. Austria Lowers Voting Age On March 14th, the Austrian government decided to allow sixteen and seventeen year olds to vote in national elections. The effort to lower the voting age had the support of both the liberal and conservative parties in Austria. This is tremendously important, as the young people of Austria will prove to the world that lowering the voting age is a good idea. It will invigorate their democracy, and hopefully the United States will follow their example. In a letter to NYRA, Austrian ambassador Eva Nowotny wrote “We demand so much responsibility from the younger generation and load so many burdens on their shoulders that we feel it was the right thing to do.” $500 Youth Rights Essay Contest Oblivion, a youth rights organization with ties to NYRA, is having a youth rights essay contest. You can write an essay about any youth rights issue you are interested in. The author of the best essay will win $500. The deadline is August 15th. This is a great opportunity to raise awareness about youth rights and win some money at the same time. Oblivion needs your help promoting this contest, please distribute flyers about the contest. If you are interested in participating, please visit oblivion.net. March 19, 2007 SSDP & NYRA Organize Student Rights Rally at Supreme Court A few years ago, a high school student named Joseph Frederick was punished for unfurling a banner that read "bong hits 4 Jesus" and subsequently quoting Thomas Jefferson to his principal. He sued, and won, but the principal brought the case to the Supreme Court. The principal (and her lawyers, who include Ken Starr) is essentially arguing that schools should have the right to silence all speech with which they disagree. This could include artistic speech, academic work, and discussion of political issues (such as youth rights or drug policy) where there is room for legitimate debate. The National Youth Rights Association strongly supports Joseph Frederick and the first amendment. Today the Supreme Court heard oral arguments from each side. The National Youth Rights Association participated in and helped organize a Students for Sensible Drug Policy led protest in front of the court. The rally was well attended, and NYRA members traveled from as far as Michigan to participate. Protesters held signs that read "free speech 4 students" as well as a large "free speech 4 students banner" designed to look like the "bong hits 4 Jesus" banner that caused all the controversy. There was a lot of media coverage of this event. Throughout the United States, the rights of students in public schools are systematically violated. Students are subjected to drug tests, unreasonable searches, and censorship. School teachers and administrators treat Tinker V Des Moines, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that guaranteed Constitutional rights in public schools, as nothing more than a nuisance that must be circumvented. If a pending Supreme Court case rules in favor of such an authoritarian administrator, this kind of unacceptable behavior could become the law of the land. NYRA extends its sincere gratitude to all the members who attended the rally, particularly Kris and Devin, who traveled a great distance. NYRA also thanks the Students for Sensible Drug Policy for their work in organizing the protest. March 14, 2007 NYRAthon Underway & New Membership Levels The third annual NYRAthon began on March 2nd, and will continue through the second of June. NYRAthon consists of two contests. The first is a contest between individuals, with prizes awarded to the three who raise the most money. The second is between the various NYRA chapters, with $100 in NYRA merchandise awarded to the one that raises the most money. Fundraising is what allows NYRA to lease an office, hire staff, and ultimately what allows NYRA to function as an organization that fights for youth rights. It is imperative that everyone participate in the NYRAthon. The NYRA chapter that raises the most money will receive $100 in NYRA merchandise (T shirts, buttons, etc.) In the individual contest, prizes of $100, $50, and $25 will be awarded to the people who raise the most money. In the past, NYRA has only had one level of membership. Member dues were $10, and had to be renewed every year regardless of how much money someone had initially donated. Now NYRA members have the option of buying memberships for one year, two years, three years, four years, five years, or life. A one year membership costs $10, two years costs $20, and so on. A lifetime membership costs $150. If you’re not yet a member and would like to become one, join here. DC Seeks to Ban Youth From Clubs Washington Councilmember Jim Graham has introduced legislation that will essentially ban young people from DC nightclubs and concert venues. While Councilmember Graham is pursuing a far more palatable version of the bill, as it stands now the legislation will “prevent the entrance of persons under the age of 21 into alcoholic beverage control licensed nightclubs, or into licensed establishments with entertainment endorsements after 11:00 p.m.” Councilmember Graham’s legislation was drafted in response to the death of a 17 year old woman at a nightclub in DC, and NYRA is sure that he has nothing but good intentions. We do, however, take issue with the fact that this bill will limit the civil rights of young people. In addition to NYRA, several nightclub owners and community organizations are opposed to the bill as it currently stands. NYRA’s Executive Director has attended meetings with Councilmember Graham, and we hope that some reasonable compromise can be reached. NYRA Fights DC Curfew For the past several years, DC has had a youth curfew. Young people in the District of Columbia can be arrested simply for leaving their homes. NYRA was recently contacted by Najmah Rashad, who runs Go-Go club events for young people in DC. She serves no alcohol at the events, and has never had any serious problems, yet the police will wait outside and arrest young people for curfew violations. She was so upset that she organized a media event in which NYRA participated. The media event was a success, and NYRA hopes to work toward building a coalition of civil rights groups and community leaders to fight the DC curfew. Annual Meeting and Election Every summer NYRA elects a new board of directors, and holds an annual meeting. NYRA’s last annual meeting in San Francisco brought together NYRA members from throughout the country. They heard from some excellent speakers, heard NYRA’s Executive Director read the annual report, and had a good time. This year the annual meeting will be held on July 28th in Washington DC. The board election will begin on June 28th. Anyone interested in attending the meeting should send us an e-mail. Some housing will be available. If you would like to vote in the board of directors election, or run for the board of directors, but you are not currently a member, please join here. February 21, 2007 NYRA Expands from North and South NYRA is on track for meeting its goal of 12 new, active chapters this year with the official formation of NYRA-Watkins Glen and the NYRA-Pensacola Brigade. Based in upstate New York, NYRA-Watkins Glen has already enjoyed some early press coverage in the local paper, the Review & Express. Watkins Glen held a debate in conjunction with their school's history club. The topics they discussed included curfew laws, voting age, and drinking age. It was a blowout success. Chapter President Ben Stamp intends to lobby the county legislature regarding curfew laws and the voting age. The NYRA-Pensacola Brigade is NYRA’s newest chapter. Founded by Travis Cummings, the chapter is making plans to participate in local demonstrations, city council meetings, and petition projects. The chapter has begun work on more flyers, with plans to distribute and wheat paste them throughout Pensacola and Gulf Breeze. A news release has gone out announcing the creation of the new chapter. New Interns Get To Work After moving in to its office, NYRA’s first task was hiring interns. After a brief search two excellent interns were found and began work on February 2. The interns were initially arranged by the Howard Gardner school in Virginia, an alternative high school that gives students time on Friday to pursue internships. Luke Remchuk, a student at that school came to interview and brought along his friend, Spencer Hopkins, a student at Walter Johnson high school in Maryland. Both were very interested in youth rights and were eager to begin work. They have been hired as grassroots organizers working specifically to start new NYRA chapters. With more time and resources devoted to chapter formation it is hoped this year will be our best yet for expanding our grassroots. January 18, 2007 NYRA Rents Office NYRA has been without an office for quite some time. Many months ago Fair Vote agreed to let us use one of their rooms, but we knew this was not a permanent arrangement, and the office was never truly ours. But due to the generosity of the Babson Foundation and NYRA members, our organization has a place to call home. NYRA has rented a room on the 9th floor of an office building in the heart of DC’s business district, only a block and a half off K Street. The office is already furnished with desks, chairs, and computers. NYRA now has access to a copy room, a kitchenette, and two conference rooms. We are located near the Farragut North Metro stop on DC’s red line. The World Bank and IMF are within walking distance, as is the White House on a nice day. Rent is $500 a month. NYRA activists looked at several offices in the DC area, and agreed that this one was by far the best in our price range. The office is essential for several reasons. Perhaps most importantly, it lends us credibility. It also provides NYRA’s Executive Director and President with a professional work environment, and without an office it is very difficult to hire interns. In retrospect the day we moved in to this office will mark the end of NYRA’s poorly funded Internet based era and the beginning of an unprecedented period of growth for NYRA and progress for youth rights. We extend our sincere gratitude to David Smith of Mobilizing America's Youth, Common Cause, the Babson Foundation, and all the NYRA members who were kind enough to donate money or computer equipment. End of the Year Fundraiser a Success During the last two weeks of December, NYRA members contributed over $1,000 to the cause. We exceeded the goal we set for ourselves. NYRA utilized Chipin, a service that collects and tracks donations. Within days NYRA had raised hundreds of dollars, and it was clear that Chipin was a useful tool. It is important that NYRA members continue to make donations to ensure that NYRA can continue doing its important work. NYRA extends its sincere gratitude to everyone who contributed. NYRA Director Sends Holiday Cards NYRA Director Katrina Moncure recently sent holiday cards, along with information about NYRA, to several youth rights activists, and many dozens of politicians who have taken youth rights friendly positions in the past. The cards looked wonderful, and Katrina sent them at great personal expense. This sort of thing helps NYRA establish important connections and renew old ones.

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