Advocates for Youth congratulates President-elect Barack Obama for his historic victory and we celebrate the role that young people played in this historic election.

Today marks the beginning of a new era for America. Senator Obama recognized the rights of young people to participate in America as true partners in the political process. In return, young people played a major strategic role in propelling the candidacy of Senator Obama forward during the primary and 18-to-29-year-olds gave him a two-to-one overwhelming margin.

Those of us who work at Advocates for Youth have always seen positive youth activism as an important component in resolving some of the many problems that our society faces. We were thrilled to see young people motivated and engaged in this national election. Never again will the votes and support of our nation’s youth be dismissed.

We look forward to working with an Obama Administration to undo many of the ideological policies implemented over the last eight years.

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Advocates for Youth is a national, nonprofit organization that creates programs and supports policies that help young people make safe, responsible decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.