By Young People, For All People
Young people’s priorities – what we’re calling the Youth Agenda – guide what New Era Colorado does everyday, from who we talk with to what we fight for.
Young people are visionaries. We aren’t held back by the way things are or have been. While we may be young, we’re tired: tired of decision-makers taking our votes for granted and politicians not fighting for our future. So we ditched their platforms and created our own.
We know that when empowered, organized, resourced, and prioritized, young people can and will transform their communities. The Youth Agenda is a tool to capture young people’s goals and advance our vision of the world.
The Issues
As an organization dedicated to creating a political home for young people, we’re committed to fighting to make the tenants of the Youth Agenda policy platform a reality – in communities, at the ballot box, and at the legislature. The principles encompassed in and policies driven by the Youth Agenda are grounded in racial justice and apply an intersectional approach to driving equitable change through policy.
We will lead and support advocacy efforts on:
- Climate Justice: We will protect our environment and dismantle racist policies that disproportionately impact the health and well-being of Black, Indigenous, Latine and Hispanic, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
- Reproductive Rights: We will cement a person’s ability to make autonomous decisions for their reproductive health and create a culture for reproductive care free, from fear or stigma and surrounded by dignity and support, in Colorado.
- Higher Education & Student Debt: We will make attending post-secondary learning more accessible and affordable for everyone, regardless of their income, race, ethnicity, gender, or citizenship status.
- Economic Justice: We will make it possible for everyone to have financial stability, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, citizenship, or income. We believe corporations should pay what they owe to build a strong social infrastructure to meet everyone’s basic needs.
- Democracy Reform: We will make sure that everyone can participate in our democratic processes. We will reform systems so that the needs of all people are represented and advocate for policies that improve voting access for young people, especially young Black, Indigenous, Latine/Hispanic, and Asian American and Pacific Islander Coloradans.
If we’re not taking a forward stance on an issue, we’ll be supporting the work of our partners. This could look like throwing our power behind a partner’s bill at the state legislature, working with Youth Agenda champions to drive progress on the local level, and holding decision-makers and elected officials accountable to the intersectional nature and impacts of these issues:
- Health Care & Mental Health
- Education
- LGBTQ Rights and Gender Expression
- Immigrant Rights
- Criminal Justice
Need a version of the platform to take into the field? Download it here!
Interested in signing onto the Youth Agenda? Fill out this form and we’ll reach out!
Demanding Progress on the Youth Agenda
For the New Era Colorado Action Fund, the Youth Agenda is a measure to hold ourselves and our leaders accountable. The policy platform will align our organization with young people’s vision of the world and evaluate how decision-makers and elected officials are holding up against young people’s standards. At the state and local levels, the Youth Agenda is a tool to help us decide how we push for change on the issues that matter the most to young people.
The agenda was the guiding principle in creating our 2022 Voter Guide (coming soon!) to provide voters with crucial information needed to cast their ballots and demonstrate if and how candidates and ballot measures reflect young people’s priorities.
From the Golden Dome to the street, the Youth Agenda is the goalpost we measure our fights – and victories – against.
2021 Listening Tour
In 2021, we embarked on a listening tour to connect with young people across Colorado and hear the issues they care about, values they hold, and their unique vision of the world. We asked over one thousand people across the state: What does youth power mean to you? What are your experiences and what do you care about? What barriers do you face and where do you want to see progress?
Throughout our 1200-plus conversations with young people in Colorado, with over a quarter respondents identifying as Black, Indigenous, or a person of color, we heard a lot about:
- A shared vision of the world where everyone is treated equally and resources are abundant.
- Cultivating power that young people feel heard and can find a community where they can drive change.
- Expanding how young people engage with government bodies to better participate in political processes to drive change, especially on the local level.
- Break down barriers that prevent people from participating in democracy and create more resources for young people to learn how to effectively lead progress.
The issues, priorities, and concerns we heard led to the creation of the Youth Agenda policy platform to provide young people with an anti-racist framework to drive the progress we want to see.
Get Involved
We’re tired of politicians not fighting for us so we’re pushing for the world we can to create ourselves through the Youth Agenda. Will you join us?