Andrea's Message to Congress

"I recently joined Prepare the Future(http://www.preparethefuture.org), and I wanted to share with you why this is an important organization for you to know.

I joined Prepare the Future as a high school student who is thoroughly disenchanted by the public school system. The path through high school has been turbulent, at best. As a bright, high achieving honors student, I have encountered road blocks to my educational opportunities that have, at times, made me lose faith in the system.

If I am a bright student with strong community ties, what must it be like for less advantaged students?

Education reform is essential to establishing an education worthy ofall of our students. Since many of us cannot vote for representatives,we have no say in how this is done. With organizations such as Prepare the Future, however, our voices can be heard, and our agenda will beheard.

Prepare the Future will ensure that policy impacting children at the local, state, and national levels: reflects our core values of fairness, trust and responsibility and strong, caring communities; ensures that the academic achievement and promotion/graduation of rates of students is improved overall; and narrows the achievement gap at a pace that will virtually eliminate it within one student generation.

Thank you, in advance, for your support of issues and policies positively impacting the lives of our nation's children and youth."

--Andrea Kalsow

Tell the Senate to help people like Andrea: http://capwiz.com/mobilize/issues/alert/?alertID=9218701

Matthew's Message about Drug Policy and Financial Aid

"Picture this if you will: The summer after high school graduation you and some friends get caught smoking a marijuana cigarette at some deserted farm by the sheriff. Because of the higher education act, if you're parents can't afford to send you to college, you're not going to be able to go. The Higher Education Act bans citizens with a drug conviction from receiving student financial aid.

Conversely, if, while driving, you kill a person under the intoxication of alcohol, after you've served your time you are as eligible for financial aid as the eighteen year old honor student graduating high school.

See something wrong with this picture?

In our society, once you've paid your debt to society, you're free to live your life as anyone else can. However, with the crime of drug possession, the punishment continues long after the debt
is paid to society.

It's not right. It's hypocritical. What if every politician that ever smoked marijuana when they were a teenager had gotten caught and not been afforded the opportunity to attend college. Where would they be now? Not all of them were the children of wealthy families. Welcome to the factory, son.

Tens of thousands of determined young people are waiting to get back into school. Please help them achieve success by co-sponsoring the RISE Act today.

Thanks for your attention to this important issue. I look forward to hearing your thoughts as soon as you have a chance to share them."

--Matthew McKinney

Tell the Senate to help people like Matthew: http://capwiz.com/mobilize/issues/alert/?alertid=9291121&type=CO

Lani's Message to Congress

"As a recent college graduate, I understand the struggles of earning a degree. With tuition rising every year, along with the miscellaneous costs of attending college (textbooks, supplies, etc) and the overall cost of living, just getting by is hard enough. For potential or current students who face a drug conviction, the burdens of overcoming legal and personal struggles associated with using or dealing drugs can be overwhelming. While some with drug convictions belong behind bars, far more are relatively normal people with relatively normal aspirations for their lives.

Many with drug convictions do not have substantial financial resources to independently fund their higher education. For those who want tomove past their drug problems and continue their pursuit of a degree, many need financial aid -- financial aid that is no longer available,thanks to the aid elimination penalty amendment to the Higher Education Act (1998).

As your constituent, I urge you to reconsider the logic behind creating obstacles for higher education for students with drug convictions -- does this not further condemn them to a life of drug use/dealing? There are already minimum GPA requirements for financial-aid, so blocking aid only affects students who are doing well in their classes. Why would we discourage at-risk students from staying in school?

College graduates are much more likely to become successful tax-paying citizens, while those who are kicked out of school are more likely to abuse drugs, become costly drains on the criminal justice system, and rely on expensive government assistance programs. Numerous addiction recovery, criminal justice, religious, and other leaders have insisted that education is one of the best means to reduce crime and drug abuse. Education is one of our society's greatest tools of reform; without an education, how can we expect anyone to achieve greatness?

I urge you to support the Removing Impediments to Students' Education(RISE) Act, sponsored in the House by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), whichwould repeal the aid elimination penalty and help hard-working and determined individuals get back into school and on the path to success. Last Congress, the bill had more than 70 House co-sponsors. Even Congress's own Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance recommended removing the drug conviction question from the aid application, calling it "irrelevant" to eligibility.

Thank you for your attention in this matter; I look forward to your response."

--Lani Ogle

Tell Congress to help people like Lani: http://capwiz.com/mobilize/issues/alert/?alertid=9063991&type=CO

Tom and Ruthann's Message to Congress About Helping their Daughter

"Our daughter, Josie finished attending our local community college, NIACC (North Iowa Area Community College) and began attending Iowa State University in Ames in January. It was convenient and affordable for her to attend NIACC those 2 ½ years, and we were able to pay the tuition, books, etc without obtaining a student loan. It’s always been Josie’s education goal to attend a four year university. Up until December 2006, she was undecided where she would attend. After visiting both U of Ia and ISU, she decided on ISU. What an absolute shock it was for her father and I to see the price of tuition rates/book fees/housing etc! We had no idea the cost.

My first reaction was panic. 'How would we get the money borrowed by the due date of January 20th?' We made two trips to Ames to discuss student loans with ISU staff. Most of the applications were more readily accepted if done on the Internet. So we did. I expected the United States to encourage and make available an education that is not only affordable but attainable by all socio-economic levels. I was saddened to see that the interest rate to borrow money to obtain a respectable education was higher than I recently obtained for a loan on a 5 year old car!

We co-signed for her, and God willing, she will graduate and obtain a job she enjoys and engages in. I do already worry about the responsibility she will have 6 months after graduation, beginning to pay off the nearly $80,000 student loan she will have. It is no wonder our young Americans are troubled by problems associated with over spending and why so many of them will also leave Iowa (perhaps against their own wishes) to obtain a job that support those college loan payments.

Thank you so much for your positive vote to make the changes in the right direction. I appreciate your time."

--Tom and Ruthann Murphy

Tell the Senate to help people like Josie:
http://capwiz.com/mobilize/issues/alert/?alertid=9291121&type=CO

Lisa's message to Congress

"When I 'aged out' of foster care, I had no family support. My mother passed away when I was 10 years old, and my father abandoned me shortly thereafter. From that time on, I lived in group home foster placements (due to lack of foster parents willing to take in teenagers in my home state of Kentucky).

I started college at age 16, and was legally emancipated shortly thereafter.

For the first two years of college, I received grants, as well as my mother's Social Security check, which I used to pay my living expenses such as rent and groceries. When I turned 18, I no longer received the Social Security checks, so I worked up to five part-time jobs at a time while attending college and graduate school.

In order to attend graduate school, I had to take out student loans. I was hired shortly after finishing graduate school, but my job was in another state. Shouldering the burden of student loans, plus buying a car, getting an apartment and moving expenses was a lot to manage. So I deferred the loans -- and the interest accumulated.

Now, I've been out of school for seven years. I am married, a homeowner, and have no credit debt. But those student loans will follow me for the rest of my life... which is probably how long it will take me to pay them back."

--Lisa Dickson

Tell the Senate to help people like Lisa:
http://capwiz.com/mobilize/issues/alert/?alertid=9291121&type=CO

Jesse's Message to Congress

"My name is Jesse Draper. I'm a graduate student at Michigan State University, a home owner, a husband, and a father of two. Upon entering graduate school, my undergraduate federal loan balance was approximately $12,000. This year alone that balance will raise to approximately $24,000. I plan on getting my Ph.D in pursuit of my dream of becoming a tenured professor teaching writing and American Studies. When my education is complete I will owe approximately $85,000 in federal student loans not including interest - assuming tuition costs stay where they are at over the next six years, which of course is highly unlikely."

-- Jesse Draper

Tell the Senate to help people like Jesse:
http://capwiz.com/mobilize/issues/alert/?alertid=9291121&type=CO

Belinda's Message to Congress

"I personally have over 15,000 in college debt, most of that is interest, I only went to a 2 year college, I can only imagine what others face. I am now disabled and can't get my college loans taken care of because the time frame to get all the paperwork done is far too short, for those who are disabled, without a car, but still on the same time limit as anyone else. Stop this insanity, our country needs good college graduates, you are doing nothing to ensure that. Thank you for your service, and I urge you to make college more affordable."

-- Belinda Velasquez-Swickey

Tell the Senate to help people like Belinda:
http://capwiz.com/mobilize/issues/alert/?alertid=9291121&type=CO

Lauren's Message to Congress

"There are many more college graduates faced with unmanageable loan debt. Banks and loan businesses own us! I want to learn. Why must I give my soul to these people just for that? ... Thanks to Jodi Rell CT's tuition was frozen for a year. But a year is not enough! Don't just freeze it, lower it! I do not want to be stressed for my entire life over money. My parents are all ready having enough trouble with paying the utility bills! I must pay for my tuition. Thanks to scholarships that I have been so lucky to receive I have been able to cut loans. But without help from my family or friends I will be faced with much trouble. Help this country! We are the future leaders! Don't you want us to get an education so we can lead with a little knowledge?!"

--Lauren Chicoski

Tell the Senate to help people like Lauren:
http://capwiz.com/mobilize/issues/alert/?alertid=9291121&type=CO

Well that really worked!

We decided to try something new in the last email campaign we sent out. Instead of featuring the voices and words of YPAC staff (read: David and I), we decided to feature messages you -- people in the YPAC community -- had sent to your elected officials.

Lauren, Jesse and Belinda offered to share their stories with the YPAC community, so we emailed to our full mailing list the stories they had sent to their elected officials.

The response was overwhelming. Alice Shan wrote "Finally someone does something for the youth of America." J.Marko wrote us to say "Being an old person, I often have thoughts of 'yipes, the kids today.' Then though, see the fruits of labor of the kids. A bit of joy, keep at it. Positive vibes your way. Again thanks for keeping at it."

Most importantly, a number of you sent us even more stories you would like to share with the YPAC community; and as you will soon see, these stories are quite amazing.

I simply had to find a way to share all these stories with you. So I dusted off this blog (which had been getting scant attention), updated its look and features, and will start posting the stories you send in here.

Be sure to take the time to post comments back to the people who submitted their stories -- I am sure they will appreciate it!

YPAC in Action

YPAC is committed to helping you have your voice heard. You can see the work we do helping you contact your elected officials directly through our Web site, but a lot takes place behind the scenes as well. Here is a sneak peek:

We received an email from a woman looking for a "grassroots" group that would join her in asking Congress to reinstate Grandparents visitation rights. We quickly started working the phones, reaching out to YPAC member organizations. We found a number who were interested in working with this woman (as one organization said, "Hooray for YPAC! It's great to see this how this tool can energize both individuals and advocacy groups!"

We connected this woman with these organizations; here is her response: "Thank you so much! You have went above and beyond any other organization I have contacted. I truly appreciate your help and I will definitely keep you posted on any results."

Interested in making your voice heard? Want help? Email us at info@youthpolicyactioncenter.org!

What do you think of the new home page?

As best we can tell, most users come to the site, take action and then leave. That's fine -- more than fine, it is the reason we set up the site: to help you connect with your elected officials. But you can also use the site to learn more about the policies you are taking action on -- you can become an expert youth advocate! So we added a featured alert, featured success, and featured "Learn More" entry right on the home page, to give a taste of the content to be found within. What do you think? Any ideas for ways we could adjust the home page to make it even better?

A Victory in the Fight to End Domestic Violence!

Last week, the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) posted a call alert using the Youth Policy Action Center as part of an important campaign seeking sufficient funds for important Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) youth programs.

In a troubled fiscal climate where many important programs are suffering from budget cuts, the NNEDV campaign helped secure 25 million additional dollars for VAWA youth programs! This is a truly dramatic victory and we thank everyone who took action on this alert.

You may want to thank your Representative for his or her support in the fight against domestic violence!

What's that in the rear view mirror?

You -- the users of YPAC -- have sped past a major milestone. In less than three months since the re-launch of YPAC (April 18, 2006) , 2166 of you have already sent 5251 messages to your officials. This already surpasses the number which were sent in the entire first beta-year of the site! Keep your foot on the gas pedal, even greater things are ahead!

What a month!

It has been one month since the re-launch of the new YPAC (April 18, 2006). How we doing? The numbers speak for themselves.

In YPAC's first year (April 05-April 06): 2078 of you took action, sending a total of 4382 messages to your elected officals and media.

Since our launch, in just one month, 1270 of you have already taken action, and sent 2949 messages!

You are well on track to do more in two months than you did all of last year! Tell your friends how they can get involved as well (including your friends on MySpace, Essembly, Yahoo360, and Friendster).

Which brings up the question: what should be our goal? How do you, as a member of the YPAC community, want us to judge our collective success? Should we set an annual goal? 10,000 messages? 100,000 messages? 1,000,000,000 messages?

Look what you did!

Yesterday you collectively sent more than 350 messages responding to an alert posted by Mobilizing America's Youth, "Congress wants you off MySpace (and Facebook, and Friendster...)" Great work! This is the second highest daily total in the history of the YPAC (the highest daily total to date being more than 500 messages sent on June 23, 2005 in response to the alert "Say No to Federal Funds for Drug Testing.") We will keep close tabs on this social networking bill, and you can too -- we have added it as the featured bill on Billtracker.

You gave the media the REAL scoop!

Who says you can't make a difference? In the first week after the re-launch of the Youth Policy Action Center, more that 5,200 of you viewed more than 23,000 pages on the Web site, and sent nearly 500 messages to elected officials and media. That's right, media -- a number of you have figured out that the Youth Policy Action Center can be a powerful way to get your voice in print. The Campaign for Youth posted an alert about a graduation rate story in USA Today, and you responded, submitting more than 160 letters to the editor to papers across the country! Students for Sensible Drug Policy posted an alert about how many college applicants in each state have been denied financial aid due to drug convictions. You sent more than 160 letters to the editor, and look, here is one of them, which was printed as the lead letter in Sunday’s Providence Journal! Education Week took notice as well, reporting on the important work you all are doing through the Youth Policy Action Center.

What do you think of the NEW Youth Policy Action Center

April 18th, 2006 (our first anniversary!) marks the official re-launch of the Youth Policy Action Center!

This redesign is a direct result of feedback you -- site visitors -- gave on the first version of the site.

You told us that it was great to be able to take action at the federal level, but you also wanted to be able to take action closer to home, at the state and local levels. So we created state pages. We are really excited about this -- hope you are as well!

You told us that you wanted to learn more about child and youth issues, policies and how they are made. So we added up to date media stories about children and youth, the best available research and information, and a set of policy tools -- giving you access to the same information used by professional lobbyists.

You told us that sending messages to your elected officials was one way you wanted to participate in democracy, but there were others as well. We couldn't agree more! So we added opportunities to volunteer and to vote.

And you told us that you wanted to interact with other people on the site, to share ideas with others. So we added places for you to post and watch videos, to connect with each other and make new friends, and this blog so you can tell us what we should do next!

All this takes a lot of time and money -- the technology costs alone costs thousands of dollars a year. We'll need your help to stay on the air -- please donate today!

What do you think? We love to hear from you -- post comments to let us know what is working and what is not, and what additional features you would like to see!

--Thaddeus Ferber
Chair, Youth Policy Action Center

Should the Youth Policy Action Center have a blog?

One of the things the member organizations of Youth Policy Action Center are working hard to do is to make this site interactive. If this is to be a site of and for young people, then there needs to be lots of ways young people and the people who care about them can directly create and shape the site. What do you think the best way to do this is? Though our partnership with Apple Student Gallery, visitors can post videos, songs, podcasts, pictures and more. But should there be some way for visitors to put their thoughts down in words? A chat room? A discussion board? A blog? A number of the Youth Policy Action Center Member Organizations already have some of these things. (Check out, for example, 18 to 35's blog, Connect for Kids' blog, and the Youth Rights Network's interactive interface). Should we just set up links to them, or should their also be a Youth Policy Action Center blog devoted to shaping and discussing this site? Please let us know your thoughts!
--Thaddeus Ferber, Youth Policy Action Center Team