NYC Youth Agenda

The NYC Youth Agenda

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In 2021, youth advocates from the Citizens’ Committee for Children (CCC), CUNY’s Intergenerational Change Initiative (ICI), YVote, and DYCD’s We the Youth Advisory Council compiled data from ICI’s Youth Ask Youth Census 2021 reports, ICI & We The Youth’s initial NYC Youth Agenda,  and CCC’s Voicing Our Future: Youth Priorities for 2021, which surveyed thousands of youth about their concerns and priorities for new elected officials.


This led to the creation of an NYC Youth Agenda Steering Committee to synthesize and distill core recommendations and sub recommendations, which they compiled into the 2022 NYC Youth Agenda. In February 2022, youth leaders put together a powerful NYC Youth Agenda Policy Breakfast, Press Conference, and Youth Rally to amplify the recommendations made in the Youth Agenda.

Throughout the spring of 2022, youth leaders from the Steering Committee organizations continued to meet with elected officials to advance the agenda and discuss how they plan to support the recommendations.

We invite you to view photos from these follow-up meetings below.

  • Chancellor David C. Banks discusses policy recommendations with youth leaders.

The work of the Youth Agenda Steering Committee continues to both develop the 2023 Youth Agenda and establish more equitable systems for youth in NYC in other ways. The Committee is divided into four working groups:

The Civic Engagement & Participation Coalition, which works with youth groups across the city to build solidarity and further strengthen the NYC Youth Agenda

NYC Community Boards, which designs and facilitates youth-led workshops for Community Board Members on creating intergenerational alliances and putting youth at the center

State of the Youth, which is focused on developing an Accountable to YOUth report

Civic Digital Hub, which is conceptualizing and operationalizing a youth civic hub to map civic opportunities across the city to make them more accessible and engaging to youth, families, and schools.

One of our borough-based workshops showcasing the power of young people and their compelling case for forging intergenerational alliances to advance outcomes for the districts and NYC at large. The session draws upon data on how youth in the districts of the participants are doing, key priorities of young people from the NYC Youth Agenda, and a vision for what intergenerational action can look like and lead to.

The Youth Agenda Steering Committee has held events for youth leaders and adult allies to come together around the 2022 Youth Agenda recommendations and ideate towards a 2023 Youth Agenda. Check out the video and photos below from ICI’s Winter Dataland, unpacking this year’s Youth Ask Youth census data, and New Year, New You, New Youth Agenda, which combined self care and community care.

Youth and adult allies unpacking data around youth concerns and priorities at the 2022 Walking in a Winter Dataland event
  • Unpacking Youth Ask Youth Census data
  • Playing games to dive deeper into the data around youth issues
  • Fun times at Winter Dataland in December!
  • Reflecting on new policy recommendation ideas
  • Activities to learn more about the Youth Ask Youth census data
  • Starting off the event with meditation and movement therapy!
  • Combining self-care and community care at the New Year, New You, New Youth Agenda event!
  • Taking a look at the 5 policy recommendation areas of the Youth Agenda

The NYC Youth Agenda Steering Committee hosted its second annual Policy Breakfast in February 2023. Youth leaders from the convening organizations reported on the progress (and sometimes lack thereof) around last year’s recommendations through the Accountable to YOUth report. They also unveiled this year’s recommendations around five focus areas: economic mobility, environmental justice, educational equity, mental health, and housing security.

See highlights from the 2023 NYC Youth Agenda Policy Breakfast!

At the Policy Breakfast, we heard public statements of accountability from multiple elected officials across NYC’s boroughs and representatives from city government offices critical to advancing this work. Watch this extensive video of the event to see statements from Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, and City Council Members Chi Osse and Althea Stevens.

Steering Committee youth are already planning next steps to ensure the recommendations in this agenda become reality and not just rhetoric. We look forward to collaborating with these officials, and to holding them—and ourselves—accountable as we work together to make progress towards a more equitable and just NYC.

Learn more about this work and hear directly from Steering Committee youth in this recent interview with PBS MetroFocus.