Action Day 2019 Recap

On January 25th through 27th, we hosted our annual Action Day event in Olympia at the capitol campus.

This year, we hosted over 70 youth advocates and community leaders from a variety of cultural, economic, and geographical backgrounds. They participated in a variety of activities, including a panel Q&A with political leaders and figures, and discussions about a range of issues from homelessness to immigration to human trafficking.

We also met with over 50 legislators from all across the state about our legislative goals for the year. In accordance with our founding principles of promoting youth health, justice, and education, they include promoting equity, civic engagement, increasing educational quality, and mental and physical health.

We owe a massive thank you to the state legislators, community groups, and other youth leaders that support our work. Without their help, this event, along with the rest of LYAC’s work throughout the year, would be impossible!

On the first day of Action Day, councilmembers finished last-minute preparations for the upcoming two days of work, including tracking and writing reports on the ongoing legislative session, preparing their testimonies for Monday’s committee hearings, and reviewing the agenda for the next day’s youth-focused event! We stepped out to take a quick picture outside because of the nice weather.

LYAC members Pranav Gundrala, Ashley Lin, Meiqi Liang, Conner Huey, and Michelle Lisset Jimenez did an amazing job making our Action Day event attendees, comprised of youth leaders across Washington, feel welcomed as they walked into the capitol. For some of them, this was their very first time in Olympia.

As they walked in, attendees were immediately asked to identify issues that they cared about and affected them. Then, we quickly jumped into opening remarks, introductions, and icebreakers to prepare for the long, productive day ahead.

One of the day’s highlights was the Q&A panel, which included Sen. Claire Wilson, Betty Buckley, the Executive Director of the Washington Independent Telecommunications Company, Erin Jones, former political candidate, activist, and speaker, Annie Blackledge, the Executive Director of the Mockingbird Society, and Libby Hollingshead of the Lieutenant Governor’s office. The panel represented a rare opportunity for youth to engage with and ask candid questions about politics.

Overall, we believe it was an extremely successful day! We always appreciate the opportunity to engage with so many youth advocates from backgrounds different from our own and learn incredible amounts from hosting the event. As always, our thanks goes out to the state capitol campus staff and local community businesses and organizations for helping make our Saturday event logistically possible.

On Monday, we took the opportunity of being in Olympia to meet with legislators about our 2019 priorities. Pictured are Daniel Tyshler and Jenna Yuan, who are just two of many councilmembers who testified on legislation during our time at the capitol. Thank you to the 50+ lawmakers and staff members who took time out of their busy schedules to meet with LYAC and support youth advocacy!