Led by young adults, the YI Midwest office has been working since 2013 to expand economic opportunity for young adults ages 18-34 in Illinois. We have worked to elevate our peers’ voices in the political process, and have advocated for statewide systemic changes in higher education, workforce development, and health care. 

Our accomplishments include providing thousands of young adults in the Chicagoland region with health insurance information, bringing hundreds of young adults to Springfield to speak to elected officials, launching a statewide collaborative to address the student mental health crisis, and training young adults to lead, organize, and reform systems to work for us.  

Based on feedback from young adults throughout the state, YI Midwest is leading campaigns to ensure all higher education students, regardless of their background, have access to college opportunities. We are pushing the state and institutions to make the necessary financial investments to meet students’ needs in and out of the classroom, including access to effective mental health supports. For young adults in the workforce, we are advocating for expanding job opportunities by strengthening worker protections, including for those entering apprenticeships and gig work. Our young adult programming trains emerging community leaders to mobilize their peers and advocate in their own authentic style. Our research projects yield data echoing what we hear from young adults, and we will continue to ambitiously push forward.  

IL Agenda BannerBelow you can also find our research, blogs, fact sheets, and more.

If you’re looking for job listings, scholarships, or other opportunities, check out our Opportunities Page

Connect with us! Young adults are needed at the table as decisions about our future are being made. Share your story, sign up to take action, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, or simply email us. Let’s get to work! 

Contact information
Lily Rocha, Midwest Regional Director
lily.rocha@younginvincibles.org
Chicago, IL

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