Annual Report 2024

Dear Friends,

As the year draws to a close, we face a crucial moment in our nation’s history. The re-election of Donald Trump brings with it a new political landscape and an almost incomprehensible threat to so many of the issues and communities we care so deeply about. How we respond will be a measure of our character and our commitment. 

2024 was a year of great gains and enormous challenges amidst a tumultuous political and cultural environment. For our part, Advocates, among other accomplishments, aided 12 school districts to weather conservative attacks on their sex education and LGBTQ initiatives; reached 30,000 adult allies with information about how to support trans and non-binary youth; continued expanding AMAZE to reach young people around the world with puberty and sex education videos–now available in 70 languages and dialects and viewed more than 100 million times since the project’s launch in 2016; partnered with young people in Minnesota to pass legislation to improve sex education; worked with partners in New York and Massachusetts to bring medication abortion to public universities and college campuses; assisted members of our Youth Activist Network to submit more than 1,600 letters to Congress to save HIV funding; mobilized youth to campaign in support of abortion ballot initiatives in seven states; trained 400 young people to serve as abortion doulas; launched Hope in a Box, an initiative to push back on the banning of books with racial justice and LGBTQ themes; and partnered with the Office of Population Affairs to begin creating a pathway for young people from marginalized communities to enter the healthcare workforce. 

But of all of Advocates’ accomplishments, it is our work to recruit, nurture, train, and support young activists that brings us the most pride. Our network of more than 95,000 youth activists, on 1,200 college campuses, extends to all 50 states and 103 countries. These emerging young leaders are key to creating a robust and active resistance movement to the incoming administration and its policies and goals. It is these young people who will reinvent a new world order – one that is more just and equitable, one that champions all of our rights to bodily autonomy. 

• Sriya worked for more than a year to mobilize her peers to successfully advocate for the passage of the Know Your Period Bill in California. The bill was recently signed into law and will help educate more than one million young people across the state about menstruation. 
• Kaniya, who along with hundreds of other activists disseminated emergency contraception on more than 500 college campuses across the country in the face of abortion bans and restrictions. Kaniya worked with the American University student administration to successfully bring Plan B vending machines to campus, reaching 14,000 young people with this important healthcare product.
•  Netra – still in high school – developed a curriculum and co-led consent workshops for students after experiencing limited and outdated sex education at her school. As a result of Netra’s work, her school implemented an improved sex education curriculum, reaching thousands of youth with information that is LGBTQ-inclusive and incorporates lessons on consent, healthy relationships, and support for survivors. 

These young people offer us hope for the future. They are dedicated to dismantling oppression and building a more equitable and just world. They have a vision for a new political and cultural order. Together we can help them make their aspirations a reality, if we are smart enough and brave enough to work alongside them –  even in the face of this dangerous political and cultural environment. 

Thank you for your unwavering commitment to this crucial cause. As we navigate these turbulent times, your support remains a beacon of hope and a powerful force for change.

With gratitude and determination,