When I first read of the opening for an internship with the National Youth Rights Association, I had to read the name twice. “What are Youth Rights?” I asked myself. I believe that I know at least a little about the world. I know that there are children who suffer from starvation and poverty each…
My school’s youth rights club recently distributed a survey in history classes to see where students currently stand on various youth rights issues. We ended up getting back 742 responses, approximately half the school. First, we attempted to recreate a recently published survey that showed that many more students consider themselves capable of voting than…
Proposed Bills: S.0133, H.0026, H.530 The Vermont legislature is currently passing a bill that will ban hand held cell phones while driving (for teen drivers or for all drivers depending on whether the house’s version or the senate’s version passes). It will also make not wearing a seatbelt a primary violation, meaning the police can…
More good voting age news out of Europe: The governing assembly of the central Swiss canton (state) of Glarus decided Sunday to lower to 16 the age at which citizens can participate in local and cantonal elections. Despite heavy rain, the traditional open-air “Landsgemeinde” assembly of citizens approved the proposal by the Young Socialists to…
The Hypocrisy of the Voting Age During the 2006 primary election in Minnesota, 17-year-old Jesse Hunter voted for his first time. Unlike many of his peers, the teenager got an early beginning to fulfilling his civic duties as a citizen. However, he was soon charged with voter fraud – a class one felony in his…
There are a lot of pretty disgusting news stories out there proving more and more how little youth are regarded in society. This, however, has got to be one of the worst. Divorced parents clash over 12-year-old son’s circumcision A former Medford man who converted to Judaism wants his 12-year-old son to do the same….
As was reported in a previous NYRA blog entry, NYRA participated in several work group sessions with DC City Councilmember Jim Graham. Graham wanted to introduce an ageist bill, but was willing to listen to some of what we had to say, and the final draft of the legislation was significantly better than what Graham…
Before the Committee on Public Works and the Environment of the Council of the District of Columbia Testimony of Alex Koroknay-Palicz On behalf of the National Youth Rights Association on Bill 17-88 The Protection and Safety of Underage Persons Amendment Act of 2007 April 18, 2007 I’d like to thank Councilman Graham for organizing the…
A BILL ___________ IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ___________ To amend Title 25 of the District of Columbia Official Code to prevent the entrance of persons under the age of 18 into alcoholic beverage control licensed nightclubs, or into licensed establishments with entertainment endorsements during curfew hours, with certain exceptions, including accompaniment…
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…
