Reposted from Free Youth Now with permission from the author. If I see one more opinion, editorial, policy recommendation, or letter claiming that kids either should or should not be sent back to school, without any reference to the actual opinions or wishes of kids, I am going to lose my mind. I know, I know,…
When it comes to mainstream society’s understanding of the adolescent brain, we are often limited to research which perpetuates harmful stereotypes and myths. Teenagers are lazy. Teens take stupid and dangerous risks. They’re impulsive and obsessed with approval from peers. While the people who stand by these stereotypes may point to neuroscience as evidence for…
There is no doubt that many youth rights issues are not well represented to those who have the most resources and abilities to make change on a county, state, or federal level. The issues of drinking and smoking age are no different and I firmly believe that spreading out support over as many districts and…
Reposted from Free Youth Now with permission from the author. Youth mental health is a public health crisis. Reports have found that teen suicides are increasing at an alarming pace, outstripping all other age groups. Suicide death rates among young people have increased rapidly in the past decade – becoming the second-most common cause of death…
Growing up in the United States, I never understood the hypocrisy of drinking laws, and by extension drinking culture, in a country known to the world as a beacon of personal freedom. How was it possible that an 18 year old could vote for the president, drive a car, enlist in the army, and own…
We are happy to announce that NYRA is now fiscally sponsoring Breaking Code Silence, a movement organized by a network of survivors and activists to raise awareness of the problems in the “Troubled Teen” Industry, to aide them as they organize their nonprofit. Youth can be kidnapped and held without their consent in these programs…
Last week NYRA published our comprehensive section on Age Discrimination. It’s the sixth issue section on our website, and the second in the past year. At NYRA we stand against discrimination and actively work against ageism in all facets of society. To end age-based discrimination, we must work against the prejudicial treatment of people based…
When it comes to many social justice causes — such as LGBTQ rights, feminism, racial equality, and economic justice — youth are typically discouraged from speaking out and leading movements. Even historically, the majority of progressive movements were led by older individuals who supposedly had more wisdom and experience than their younger counterparts. However, the…
NYRA has just secured yet another voting age endorsement from Young Democrats of America, the latest of a long string of organizations that have joined the movement! YDA is the official youth arm of the Democratic Party. Gaining their support has taken over a year and a half of going back-and-forth with YDA officials before…
Young people share their experiences of navigating structural oppressions such as ageism through many different expressive media: writing, visual art, music, spoken word, dance, video/film, even multimedia techniques. Today we feature a musical work by a vibrant and thoughtful young person, Lux Onigman. Lux is a rising junior at Morristown High School. Their piece, Youth,…
