[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1044 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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 youth do not have the right 
        to vote in elections, each policy 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 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, 
        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;
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 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;
Whereas for example, there are 407,000 youth in foster care on any given day, 
        many of whom could benefit from efforts to develop and empower them to 
        be leaders;
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 is a best practice that can lead 
        to markedly 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 benefits of youth leadership, the 
        subject is critically understudied'';
Whereas conducting further empirical research on youth leadership would yield 
        immediate application and benefits for policymakers, educators, child 
        welfare professionals, parents, 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 empowering 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 leadership development 
        opportunities, and encourage additional research on youth 
        leadership;
            (3) honors the work of adults that help cultivate youth 
        leadership; and
            (4) honors the dedication of youth leaders who advocate for 
        the interest of their generation and future generations.
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