On November 13th, DeWarren Langley resigned from both the NYRA Board, and from his position as the director of the Chapter Formation and Advisory Office. DeWarren resigned due to differences of opinion, stemming from his very literal view of NYRA’s mission statement and his strong opinions with regard to the best possible structuring of the…
On November 9th, NYRA-DC chapter President and NYRA Director Laura Finstad appeared on National Public Radio’s “That Democracy Show” in Washington. The show featured young people discussing the benefits of working outside of the system versus working within the system. NYRA believes that a balance should be struck between the two. Laura managed to get…
NYRA needs a budget to remain a viable organization and to step up its efforts around the country to become a visable and vocal proponent for Youth Rights. An idea is being persued to hold a large benefit show this March that would raise enough money to get NYRA a firm financial base and a…
A dozen officers in Goose Creek, South Carolina stormed through the halls of Stratford High School with guns drawn, forcing 107 students to lay on the floor and submit to a drug dog search. Students were commanded to get on their knees with their hands behind their head, students who did not respond quick enough…
A petition for honest sexual education is currently being circulated by a NYRA ally. The people responsible for the petition were hoping to have 50,000 signatures already, but they still encourage people to sign it. The petition, sponsored by Advocates for Youth, cites parallels between sexual education and drug education as reasoning to avoid a…
On Wednesday, October 29th, NYRA President and Executive Director Alex Koroknay-Palicz presented a workshop on Youth Rights at the National Young Leaders Conference, it was the fourth he has done in the month of October. Always known as someone who can successfully communicate NYRA’s message to the public, Alex received a great reaction from the…
There are many websites on the Internet dedicated to humor. These sites, while often very funny, sometimes have ageist disclaimers. Often a website will have something that says their material is not appropriate for individuals under the age of eighteen. NYRA member Jessica Jordan decided to do something about it. She has written letters to…
On September 17 NYRA made an unexpected appearance as part of the top news story on America Online’s welcome screen. NYRA-DC President, Laura Finstad, and NYRA Executive Director, Alex Koroknay-Palicz were both interviewed for an ABCnews.com article about lowering the voting age that appeared on the 17th. AOL news picked up the story and used…
NYRA-Montgomery County’s “Petition of Voices” has begun circulation for the 03-04 school year. This petition, first started last year, calls upon all high schools in the Maryland county to create a student advocate position. This faculty member will defend students accused of violating school rules. In half-an-hour of petitioning the chapter collected 140 signatures outside…
The NYRA Board of Directors had its first meeting of the 2003-2004 term on August 31st. There was much work to do, the Board elected officers, appointed committees, and scheduled meetings for the year. The positions of Vice-President and Treasurer were contested. DeWarren Langley and Johnathan McClure were nominated for Vice-President, and after an interview…
