Advocates for Youth supports the rights of young people everywhere to live free from discrimination, violence, and fear. Young Palestinians must have the economic, social, and political power to exercise their bodily autonomy and self determination. 

“Within 13 seconds of arriving on the scene, the police officer had fired the shots that killed Ma’Khia. The policing of Black communities is a threat to young Black lives, and it’s past time for policy makers and youth-serving professionals to acknowledge that - and to take radical action to fight that threat."

These days, weeks, and years are hard - from watching the prosecution blame George Floyd’s death on anything but the police officer who killed him, to the killings of Adam Toledo and Daunte Wright by police, to the frequent reports that there has been another killing, another officer unpunished, another protest met with even more brutality from the state. These guilty verdicts help a little - but it isn’t enough. It’s far from enough.  

"Transgender young people have the right to lead healthy lives. They have the right to supportive and safe environments, and to full participation in activities, including sports.  The fact is we are all privileged to know the young trans and non binary people in our lives. It is our responsibility  to do everything we can to make our world safer and more welcoming for gender expansive youth," said Debra Hauser, President, Advocates for Youth.

Advocates for Youth applauds the Biden Administration’s proposed changes to Title X, the nation’s federal family planning program designed to provide affordable reproductive health services to those in need, including youth and young adults.

We need to listen to protestors rather than responding with escalation and further violence. We need to defund, divest, and invest in programs that can actually help our communities, instead of continuing to give money and guns to those forcing young people of color to live in fear.