IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1044 
Expressing support for the designation of February 2024 as ‘‘National Youth 
Leadership Month’’. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 29, 2024 
Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin (for herself, Ms. MACE, Mr. SOTO, Mr. BACON, Mr. 
KILMER, Mr. ALLRED, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Ms. TOKUDA, Mr. FROST, and Ms. 
CROCKETT) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing support for the designation of February 2024 
as ‘‘National Youth Leadership Month’’. 
Whereas youth are children and adolescents as well as those 
transitioning 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 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Feb 29, 2024
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR1044.IH
HR1044
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 1044 IH 
youth do not have the right to vote in elections, each pol-
icy enacted by their representatives impacts them; 
Whereas effective policymaking requires a clear and nuanced 
understanding of the problems and of the context within 
which policy solutions will take place; 
Whereas only youth can speak firsthand and authoritatively 
on their own lived experiences; 
Whereas history has reflected that youth have been at the 
vanguard of every social movement; 
Whereas youth are capable of engaging in substantive and 
productive discussions of issues and as partners in the 
policymaking process; 
Whereas the nuanced perspectives that youth can offer based 
on their aforementioned experiences are critical to 
crafting effective policies that avoid unintended con-
sequences; 
Whereas policies that impact youth are incomplete and insuf-
ficient if youth are not authentically engaged in the pol-
icymaking process; 
Whereas specifically youth who are or have been involved in 
the child welfare, foster care, and youth justice systems 
have crucial firsthand perspectives about the functioning 
of those systems and how they impact youth and families; 
Whereas when youth are empowered to lead throughout their 
formative years, they develop a strong sense of identity 
and establish themselves as engaged civic participants, 
taking pride and ownership of their impact as leaders; 
Whereas likewise, as youth serve in leadership roles, they can 
take pride in their stewardship and the work of others 
whom they have lead; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Feb 29, 2024
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR1044.IH
HR1044
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 1044 IH 
Whereas these benefits are especially meaningful 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, youth with disabilities, and youth in foster 
care; 
Whereas the youth in the aforementioned groups represent 
hundreds of thousands of perspectives that are critically 
needed in policy and other discussions about their present 
situations but also their future; 
Whereas in the context of child welfare, authentic youth en-
gagement is an approach that prioritizes elevating youth 
to be leaders in shaping their lives and directing their fu-
tures alongside the adults in their communities and the 
child welfare workforce; 
Whereas for example, there are 407,000 youth in foster care 
on any given day, many of whom could benefit from ef-
forts to develop and empower them to be leaders; 
Whereas child welfare experts agree that implementing au-
thentic youth engagement for the purposes of case plan-
ning, court processes, and the implementation of youth 
advisory boards is a best practice that can lead to mark-
edly better outcomes for youth within the child welfare 
system as well as positive systems changes overall; 
Whereas, as stated in the academic article, The Need to 
Study Leadership in Adolescents, that ‘‘despite the bene-
fits of youth leadership, the subject is critically under-
studied’’; 
Whereas conducting further empirical research on youth lead-
ership would yield immediate application and benefits for 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Feb 29, 2024
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR1044.IH
HR1044
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 1044 IH 
policymakers, educators, child welfare professionals, par-
ents, and employers, and youths themselves; and 
Whereas we support designating February 2024 as ‘‘National 
Youth Leadership Month’’ to uplift current youth leaders, 
encourage future youth leaders, and, support those em-
powering youth leaders: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the designation of a ‘‘National 
Youth Leadership Month’’; 
(2) encourages Congress to implement policies 
to elevate youth voices to lead, support youth leader-
ship development opportunities, and encourage addi-
tional research on youth leadership; 
(3) honors the work of adults that help cul-
tivate youth leadership; and 
(4) honors the dedication of youth leaders who 
advocate for the interest of their generation and fu-
ture generations. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Feb 29, 2024
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HR1044.IH
HR1044
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB