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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 171 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 171

 Expressing support for the designation of February 2023 as ``National 
                       Youth Leadership Month''.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 27, 2023

 Ms. Moore of Wisconsin (for herself, Ms. Mace, and Ms. Kamlager-Dove) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                     on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Expressing support for the designation of February 2023 as ``National 
                       Youth Leadership Month''.

Whereas youth are children and adolescents as well as those making the 
        transition into early adulthood;
Whereas, while it is essential that we, as adults, care for our youth, it is 
        also our responsibility to ensure that the youth are among today's 
        leaders and are well prepared to lead future generations;
Whereas, as of 2020, 73,106,000 Americans were under 18 years of age, comprising 
        22.1 percent of the United States population;
Whereas it is especially critical that youth voices are uplifted in policy 
        conversations because despite the fact that youth do not have the right 
        to vote in elections, each policy enacted by their representatives will 
        have an effect on them;
Whereas effective policymaking requires a clear and nuanced understanding of the 
        problems and of the context within which policy solutions will take 
        place;
Whereas youth are the foremost experts in their own lived experiences;
Whereas youth have been at the vanguard of every social movement;
Whereas youth are capable of engaging in substantive and productive discussions 
        of issues and as partners in the policymaking process;
Whereas the nuanced perspectives that youth are able to offer based on their 
        aforementioned experiences are critical to crafting effective policies 
        that avoid unintended consequences;
Whereas policies that impact youth are incomplete and insufficient if youth are 
        not authentically engaged in the policymaking process;
Whereas specifically youth who are or have been involved in the child welfare 
        and youth justice systems have crucial perspectives about the 
        functioning of those systems and how they impact youth and families;
Whereas when youth are empowered to lead throughout their formative years, they 
        develop a strong sense of identity and become engaged civic participants 
        that take pride and ownership in their work and those that they lead;
Whereas these benefits are especially potent for youth from communities that 
        have been historically excluded from leadership roles, including youth 
        of color, Native youth, LGBTQ+ youth, youth from religious minorities, 
        poor youth, and the estimated 391,000 youth in foster care on a given 
        day;
Whereas, in the context of child welfare, authentic youth engagement is an 
        approach that prioritizes elevating youth to be leaders in shaping their 
        lives and directing their futures alongside the adults in their 
        communities and the child welfare workforce and is recognized as best 
        practice within the child welfare system;
Whereas child welfare experts agree that implementing authentic youth engagement 
        for the purposes of case planning, court processes, and the 
        implementation of youth advisory boards leads to better outcomes for 
        youth within the child welfare system as well as positive systems 
        changes overall;
Whereas youth development experts agree that despite the benefits of youth 
        leadership, the subject is critically understudied;
Whereas conducting further empirical research on youth leadership would yield 
        immediate application for policymakers, educators, parents, and 
        employers, and youths themselves; and
Whereas we support designating February 2023 as ``National Youth Leadership 
        Month'' to uplift current youth leaders and those doing the important 
        work of supporting youth leadership: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation of a ``National Youth 
        Leadership Month'';
            (2) encourages Congress to implement policies to elevate 
        youth voices to lead, support youth leadership development 
        opportunities, and encourage additional research on youth 
        leadership;
            (3) honors the work of adults that prioritize and cultivate 
        youth leadership; and
            (4) honors the dedication of youth leaders who advocate for 
        the interest of their generation and future generations.
                                 <all>
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