YA-YA Network

After a long and thoughtful search, YA-YA Network is happy to welcome another two new members in our fight for the young people of New York City. Join us in welcoming Cherrell Brown and Jeanine Marie Russaw to the YA-YA family! Cherrell joins us as our new Director of Organizing. She is a community organizer, social justice educator, abolitionist and mom. She first came to movement work over a decade ago sparked by the execution of Troy Anthony Davis and has worked in many struggles against anti-Black state violence. A lover of student-loan debt, she has a BA in Political Science from North Carolina A&T State University, and an MA in Human Rights from the University of London. When she’s not turning up on the system you can find her at home playing with her toddler and planning hiking adventures. Next year she hopes to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro! Jeanine joins us as our new Director of Facilitation. She is a neurodivergent educator who boldly wears her HSP traits as badges of honor.  A storyteller to her core, Jeanine holds a B.A. in Journalism from Hofstra University and a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) from Relay Graduate School of Education. She eagerly joins YA-YA Network committed to designing and facilitating learning experiences that empower folx to share their stories, lead the conversations that matter most to them, and in turn, develop other leaders. A proud Pennsylvania native, Jeanine has happily called Harlem home for the last eight years. We are so excited to welcome these powerful and talented individuals to YA-YA Network as we continue our fight for the young people of New York City!

The YA-YA Network is excited to announce the appointment of our first-ever Co-Executive Director, Raúl Soto (he/él). Raúl joins us with nearly a decade of experience working in educational and community-based organizations, most recently East Harlem Tutorial Program. There, he served as a strategic thought partner with senior leaders, grew a service-learning program to its height of 400+ annual volunteers, developed a workforce development program for high school and college-age young people, and founded the Public Engagement team. During his time in East Harlem he has proven himself to be a leader in organizing community resources for the most vulnerable, shepherding teams through difficult crises, and growing out strategic initiatives. Raúl’s focus here will be to help stregthen our operational systems, talent development, and fundraising efforts as well as support our Founder and Co-Executive Director, Amy Wagner, in advancing the work of our youth organizers. Raúl was born and raised in the Bronx, New York and remains a resident there. He is an alum of Haverford College, where he received a BA in Religion with a concentration in Religion, Ethics, and Society, and CUNY Baruch College, where he received a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree in the Executive Program. In addition to his passion for working with young people, he is an avid listener of trance and house music and can often be found riding around parks on his Onewheel. Raúl’s long-term goals are centered on creating an equitable future for the next generation by dismantling systems and mechanisms of oppression and racism. He is excited to be joining the YA-YA Network and the opportunity to serve YA-YAs to carry on the legacy of our organization and build out its future. 

We are looking for a Facilitation Director to build YA-YA’s base, work directly with a diverse group of teens to build their skills as peer educators and to generate opportunities for them to use those skills. As Facilitation Director, you will be responsible for directly recruiting, managing, developing, and supporting YA-YA’s Facilitation Squad, made up of a diverse group of youth ages 15-19 and a facilitation associate/intern. You will also work with our team to design and run our Summer Social Justice Institute.

We are looking for an Organizing Director to build YA-YA’s base, strengthen our campaign work and co-create a clear strategic vision and campaign strategy. As Organizing Director, you will be responsible for directly recruiting, managing, developing, and supporting YA-YA’s Action Committee, made up of youth ages 15-19 and 2 organizing interns. You will also work with our coalitions and allies to advance educational equity and transform the school-to-prison pipeline.

It’s not too late to support youth organizing this Giving Tuesday! https://lnkd.in/esu5EApm YA-YA Network's alumni go on to become lifelong activists. They work as teachers, social workers, campaign directors, public health professionals, and directors of their own community organizations. We are raising funds to support the youth who are fighting back against Mayor Adams' budget cuts to youth services AND to give our young people the lasting skills in leadership and policy advocacy they need to transform our schools, our city, and our world. Each youth participant in YA-YA Network receives a stipend so that they can join our programming. By becoming a monthly supporter of YA-YA Network this Giving Tuesday, you will support another youth as they spend the next year gaining the training, confidence, and tools needed to organize for a better New York City. Your donation ensures that our young people are supported to fight for justice today and cultivate the future we all dream of. We hope you can support our work today and tomorrow by becoming a monthly supporter of YA-YA this Giving Tuesday. https://lnkd.in/esu5EApm

Our goal this Giving Tuesday is to gain 15 new monthly donors. Can you give $5 monthly to sustain the young organizers working tirelessly to protect our schools, libraries, and youth services? This critical support will help us stop Mayor Adams' plan to cut $1 billion from our schools. https://lnkd.in/esu5EApm

Check out testimony from one of our 2023 Summer Institute members! 🖤

Happy Fall 🍂 ! As the school year officially begins, The YA-YA Network has been reflecting on the work accomplished this past summer. We kicked off our 2023 Summer Institute on July 5th! From 12PM to 6PM, 21 students from across the five boroughs joined us three days a week to learn more about their collective power as young people. They were introduced to our lead facilitators and staff, including our Director of Youth Development: Divine Soona Gertrude N. and our Director of Programming: Destiny Davis. To kick off the program, our young people were tasked with drafting their own set of community agreements. They were also introduced to one of the focal points of the Summer Institute program— The Summer Institute Action Project! The project is an opportunity for participants to critically engage with issues that matter most to them though a group-designed project that incorporates elements of hands-on organizing, fundamentals of political campaigns, and applied concepts learned throughout the Summer Institute. From Organizing 101, where our young people talked about the American Dream, cultural hegemony, and the 4 “I’s” of oppression, to Gender Justice Week, where they unpacked the patriarchy through self-reflection and historical analysis— our young people critically engaged in a variety of conversations, workshops, and field trips that assisted them in building their social organizing skills and advanced an anti-oppressive political education that enabled them to be fighters for change. This year’s Summer Institute also featured a climate justice workshop, focusing on East River Park & East River Coastal Resiliency Project. Highlighting the work carried out by East River Park Action and East River Alliance, the workshop included a debate over the project where young people represented environmental justice/community groups and private developers— all to help answer the central question: How can we achieve justice for our communities and ourselves? Coinciding with The YA-YA Network’s mission to advance youth organizing, all transportation and meals were provided. Plus, a stipend for their completion of the program! The summer concluded with a beautiful picnic in the park, allowing for rest and connection to form after everyone’s hard work. We want to thank all of our young people for their hard work and participation this summer, as well as Divine and Destiny for their hard work. Special thanks to: Lead Facilitators, Noa Johnsen DeWeese & Mulan Jimenez Director of Organizing, Shaktii Mann Director of Communications, Aya Abdelaziz (Aziz) Communications Associate, Bria Dominici Love the work we’re doing? Want to find a way to support our mission, staff, programming, and youth? Consider becoming a monthly donor— any contributes toward our ability to provide young people with programming, transportation, meals, and stipends! https://lnkd.in/esu5EApm

Happy Fall 🍂 ! As the school year officially begins, The YA-YA Network has been reflecting on the work accomplished this past summer. We kicked off our 2023 Summer Institute on July 5th! From 12PM to 6PM, 21 students from across the five boroughs joined us three days a week to learn more about their collective power as young people. They were introduced to our lead facilitators and staff, including our Director of Youth Development: Divine Soona Gertrude N. and our Director of Programming: Destiny Davis. To kick off the program, our young people were tasked with drafting their own set of community agreements. They were also introduced to one of the focal points of the Summer Institute program— The Summer Institute Action Project! The project is an opportunity for participants to critically engage with issues that matter most to them though a group-designed project that incorporates elements of hands-on organizing, fundamentals of political campaigns, and applied concepts learned throughout the Summer Institute. From Organizing 101, where our young people talked about the American Dream, cultural hegemony, and the 4 “I’s” of oppression, to Gender Justice Week, where they unpacked the patriarchy through self-reflection and historical analysis— our young people critically engaged in a variety of conversations, workshops, and field trips that assisted them in building their social organizing skills and advanced an anti-oppressive political education that enabled them to be fighters for change. This year’s Summer Institute also featured a climate justice workshop, focusing on East River Park & East River Coastal Resiliency Project. Highlighting the work carried out by East River Park Action and East River Alliance, the workshop included a debate over the project where young people represented environmental justice/community groups and private developers— all to help answer the central question: How can we achieve justice for our communities and ourselves? Coinciding with The YA-YA Network’s mission to advance youth organizing, all transportation and meals were provided. Plus, a stipend for their completion of the program! The summer concluded with a beautiful picnic in the park, allowing for rest and connection to form after everyone’s hard work. We want to thank all of our young people for their hard work and participation this summer, as well as Divine and Destiny for their hard work. Special thanks to: Lead Facilitators, Noa Johnsen DeWeese & Mulan Jimenez Director of Organizing, Shaktii Mann Director of Communications, Aya Abdelaziz (Aziz) Communications Associate, Bria Dominici Love the work we’re doing? Want to find a way to support our mission, staff, programming, and youth? Consider becoming a monthly donor— any contributes toward our ability to provide young people with programming, transportation, meals, and stipends! https://lnkd.in/esu5EApm

Just a reminder to young people (ages 14-19) in New York City: applications for our 2023-2024 EMPOWER Fellowship Program close THIS FRIDAY 09/08! 🧡