On February 13, 2024, Young Invincibles was honored to be included the first-ever interagency Youth Policy Summit: Cultivating Possibilities. The event brought together nearly 90 young people from around the country who spoke with policymakers from federal agencies about how to improve policies and programs from a youth perspective.

Naomi Cruz Ojeda, YI’s policy fellow based in our Texas office, was able to join the planning committee for the event. She worked directly with the Biden-Harris Administration to plan event that would foster a two way communication between young advocates and senior officials in the federal government. Naomi also facilitated one of the breakout sessions focused on mental health. In addition to Naomi, Young Invincibles was able to invite three young advocates to come to DC and participate in the event: Vashti Trujillo from Colorado, Evan Quaintance from DC, and Clementina Jose from New York.

At the start of the summit, Naomi reflected on the importance of the event: “At this pivotal juncture, a rare and invaluable opportunity is encapsulated within this youth summit— a chance for those running this country to listen directly to those living with the policies they create. This gathering brings together a young, vibrant, and diverse array of voices from various backgrounds and life experiences, converging to share their perspectives and policy recommendations. Young people, like myself, must remind the government that policies won’t be effective if we do not listen to the young voices being impacted. I am honored to be included as a part of the planning committee of this event, and that several brilliant young advocates from the Young Invincibles’ network will be joining to share their expertise. I hope the contributions from us and the other young people in attendance will create blueprints for new ideas to make progress.”

For an inside peek at the event, check out this video:

@younginvincibles We are SO Proud of our Mental Health Policy Fellow, Naomi Cruz Ojeda! Naomi was invited to participate in the planning of the 2024 White House Youth Policy Summit. Additionally, she moderated a panel about higher education and how it’s affecting young people’s mental health as well as other obstacles young people face like access to food and housing. Thanks to Naomi, and all the other participants, the summit was a success! #foryoupage #fyp #foryou #parati #paratii #xybca #xyzabc #whitehouse #youngadults #highereducation #studentdebt #youngvoices #leadership ♬ original sound – Young Invincibles