For Immediate Release:
January 18, 2023
Press Contact:
Carmel Pryor
press@allianceforyouthaction.org
WASHINGTON — The Alliance for Youth Action is proud to share its future 2023 plans of holding elected officials accountable to young people following their influence as a key 2022 voting bloc.
Dakota Hall, Executive Director of the Alliance for Youth Action, released the following statement:
“At the Alliance, we don’t believe in off-years. We believe in persistence and holding elected leaders’ feet to the fire. That’s why in 2023, we’re pushing hard to hold officials elected last year accountable now that they’re in office.
“Many elected officials relied on the youth vote to get them into office, and it’s now time for them to recognize us not just as a constituency, but as a check on power. If leaders are expecting us to come out and vote for them, then we expect them to give us a good reason to do so.”
Take a glimpse into what the Alliance Network has in store this year:
Strengthening Democracy
This year, like every year, the Alliance Network is dedicated to protecting young people’s access to the ballot box.
We’re diving deep into fighting for voting rights at the local level and are excited to launch a new democracy cohort pilot program. The Alliance will provide training, materials, ongoing strategic consultation, campaign support, and financial resources (as we are able to raise) to at least a dozen local youth power groups in our network to lead these efforts across the country. Voting rights reform priorities vary across the states and currently include fair redistricting, expanding vote by mail, voting rights restoration, lowering the voting age, defending against anti-voter legislation, educating voters on recent changes, election protection, and more.
Building the Next Generation of Leaders
A major element of the work we do at the Alliance is supporting the grassroots organizations that make up the Alliance Network. We believe that investing in young organizational leaders will pave the way for a brighter future for leaders from the next generation.
Doing this work as a young organizational leader isn’t easy, so the Alliance provides capacity-building support from every angle to make sure local organizations in the network can flourish. This year, we’re also excited to host an in-person network-wide conference to continue building the skills young leaders need to build youth power in their states!
If you are interested in speaking with Executive Director Dakota Hall and/or Network Leaders from the Alliance for Youth Action network, please reach out to press@allianceforyouthaction.org.
ABOUT DAKOTA HALL:
Dakota Hall is the Executive Director of the Alliance for Youth Action, the nation’s largest youth grassroots organizing network in the country. An organization that is “of young people, by young people, for young people,” the Alliance works to build political power with young people across the United States. Before joining the Alliance, Dakota served as the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Leaders Igniting Transformation, an Alliance affiliate in Milwaukee, WI. Dakota brings years of experience as an organizer and advocate to the Alliance, and has championed civil and racial justice across Wisconsin through efforts to elevate Black and Brown young people, and to remove the Milwaukee Police Department from school campuses.
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The Alliance for Youth Action grows progressive people power across America by empowering local young people’s organizations to strengthen our democracy, fix our economy, and correct injustices through on-the-ground organizing.