IV 

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 polVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:40 Feb 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR171.IH HR171

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•HRES 171 IH 

icy 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, 


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•HRES 171 IH 

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 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) supports the designation of a ‘‘National 

3 Youth Leadership Month’’; 


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•HRES 171 IH 

1 (2) encourages Congress to implement policies 

2 to elevate youth voices to lead, support youth leader3 ship development opportunities, and encourage addi4 tional research on youth leadership; 

5 (3) honors the work of adults that prioritize 

6 and cultivate youth leadership; and 

7 (4) honors the dedication of youth leaders who 

8 advocate for the interest of their generation and fu9 ture generations. 

Æ 


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