Letter from the Executive Director
It has been quite a year. As the recovery from the global pandemic evolves, young people across the country are in a period of profound and historic opportunity to address systemic barriers to economic security. Young Invincibles’ mission to amplify the voices of young adults in the political process and expand economic opportunity is as relevant today as it was 14 years ago when we were founded. It is easy to feel demoralized by the difficult economic and social conditions that today’s young people, especially people of color and low-income young adults, face. However, we at YI know big change is possible because young people are powerful. Young people want a prosperous future with access to an affordable education and an indemand career. A future with comprehensive and affordable health care coverage, including full reproductive care and mental health care. When young adults come together, learn to organize in their communities, and share their personal stories, they create extraordinary social and policy change. We are happy to report that, because of your continued support, YI is thriving. Our accomplishments in 2022 include advocacy that led to historic student loan debt relief, COVID-19 education and outreach in communities around the country, and a new Financial Health of Young America report that analyzed the financial landscape after the pandemic.
In the past year since I joined as Executive Director, we have returned to in-person programming. After three years of virtual and hybrid work, we have new offices in our regions, a new strategic plan, and a new theory of change. Young Invincibles | Impact Report 2022 Our strategic plan focuses on narrative change and alignment. We will shift the narrative about young adult access to economic opportunity by working diligently to uplift youth voices, align our existing programs by creating unified experiences for young people who participate, elevate our use of digital tools to expand our reach, and focus on efforts to produce high-quality, cutting-edge policy research. As we enter our next chapter, we are building an organization we are proud of. We have doubled down on centering diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we are excited to showcase YI as a great place to work. Building on the progress we have made across health care, higher education, jobs, and voting for young adults, YI’s programs are recommitted to our values of bold ideas, collaboration, community, equity, and young adult power. Looking ahead, I am confident that we will continue to carry out our mission with creativity, passion, and commitment. We look forward to partnering with you to further our shared work for many years to come.
