As was reported in a previous NYRA blog entry, NYRA participated in several work group sessions with DC City Councilmember Jim Graham. Graham wanted to introduce an ageist bill, but was willing to listen to some of what we had to say, and the final draft of the legislation was significantly better than what Graham…
Before the Committee on Public Works and the Environment of the Council of the District of Columbia Testimony of Alex Koroknay-Palicz On behalf of the National Youth Rights Association on Bill 17-88 The Protection and Safety of Underage Persons Amendment Act of 2007 April 18, 2007 I’d like to thank Councilman Graham for organizing the…
A BILL ___________ IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ___________ To amend Title 25 of the District of Columbia Official Code to prevent the entrance of persons under the age of 18 into alcoholic beverage control licensed nightclubs, or into licensed establishments with entertainment endorsements during curfew hours, with certain exceptions, including accompaniment…
Oblivion, a youth rights organization with ties to NYRA, is having a youth rights essay contest. You can write an essay about any youth rights issue you are interested in. The author of the best essay will win $500. The deadline is August 15th. This is a great opportunity to raise awareness about youth rights…
On March 14th, the Austrian government decided to allow sixteen and seventeen year olds to vote in national elections. The effort to lower the voting age had the support of both the liberal and conservative parties in Austria. This is tremendously important, as the young people of Austria will prove to the world that lowering…
A new book by Dr. Robert Epstein, The Case Against Adolescence: Rediscovering the Adult in Every Teen, argues that young people are more competent than most people think. Epstein’s research led him to the conclusion that teenagers are essentially as competent as adults, and treating them as children just leads to behavioral problems. NYRA is…
COUNCILMEMBER JIM GRAHAM, CHAIRPERSON COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS AND THE ENVIRONMENT ANNOUNCES A PUBLIC HEARING ON Bill 17-88, The “Protection And Safety Of Underage Persons Amendment Act of 2007” WEDNESDAY APRIL 18, 2007 AT 6 P.M. Room 412, John A. Wilson Building 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20004 Councilmember Jim Graham, Chairperson of the…
A piece in the Barre Montpelier Times Argus was a breath of fresh air. Even if only an oped, it is still nice to see the pro-youth point of view being published. Let’s have a look at this, shall we? The rights of young people have been in the news lately. In Montpelier, student posters…
On Thursday, the members of the School Leadership Team at Reynolds High School debated electronic devices and cell phone usage policy. Despite the efforts of of the student council president and I, the committee voted to ban all cell phone usage during class changes, effective next year. We were able to convince them to allow cell phones during…
Last month Washington, DC Councilman Jim Graham introduced a bill that would ban or restrict young people (everyone under 21) from clubs and music venues in the city. First reported on here in February when we highlighted the amazing committee testimony of Ian MacKaye and Spencer’s thoughts on the underage ban. Since then we’ve been…
