Millennial Public Policy Symposium

Young people have always had something to say and their voices are getting louder in the current cultural and political moment. From the hundreds of thousands marching across the country in support of gun control reform to the work of the activists, organizers, and technologists of Black Lives Matters, Standing Rock, and United We Dream, a rising generation of policymakers and activists are leading the way.

We invite you to take part in New America’s Millennial Public Policy Symposium on April 26, which will elevate new perspectives on some of the most pressing public policy issues of our time.

With the goals of addressing challenges facing our country, engaging rising policymakers, and fostering constructive public discourse, this symposium aims to identify a set of policy solutions with the potential to make a difference in the lives of young adults. Symposium sessions will focus on: new perspectives on communities of care; promises and perils of technology and big data; revisiting policy and political activism; and intergenerational engagement and policy change.

Please join New America’s Millennials Initiative for this day-long symposium which will feature a diverse group of participants across a range of ages, personal experiences, and policy perspectives.

This event is free and open to the general public, though registration is required and space limited. Light breakfast and lunch will be provided to registered attendees.

New America's Millennial Public Policy Symposium is supported by the Citi Foundation.

This event will be live streamed on this page. You can follow the conversation online with #MillennialPublicPolicy and @MillennialsNA.

SCHEDULE

9:30-10:00 AM - Check-in

Coffee and light breakfast served

10:00-10:30 AM - Welcome

Julie Hodgson
Program Officer, Citi Foundation
Tyra Mariani, @tyram25
Executive Vice President, New America
Dr. Reid Cramer, @ReidCramer
Director, Millennials Initiative, New America

10:30-11:30 AM - New Perspectives on Communities of Care

Consisting of a pair of short conversations facilitated by Millennial Fellows Myacah Sampson, Roselyn Miller, and Jenny Muñiz, this session will advance past justifying why inclusive care and education policies matter and toward implementing solutions that address the needs and aspirations of low-income communities of color. Speakers from New America's Family-Centered Social Policy program, Better Life Lab, and Education Policy teams will strategize best practices for how to reduce systemic barriers, build robust programs that encourage engagement, and lay the groundwork for equitable policy.

Alieza Durana, @aliezadurana
Senior Policy Analyst, Better Life Lab, New America
Abigail Swisher, @abigail_swisher
Program Associate, Education Policy program, New America
Ernest Ezeugo, @ErnestEzeugo
Program Associate, Education Policy program, New America

11:30-11:45 AM - Break

11:45-1:00 PM - Promises and Perils of Technology and Big Data

How can data and technology be used to strengthen policy? What are the benefits, risks and challenges associated with data and technology driven policymaking? This session seeks to answer these questions within the context of CVE (Countering Violent Extremism), healthcare, and the role of technologists in decision making processes by having Millennial Fellows Emma Coleman, Dillon Roseen, and Spandana Singh each will facilitate distinct conversations the fields’ leading experts.

Cecilia Muñoz, @cecmunoz
Vice President, Public Interest Technology and Public Interests, New America
Dipayan Ghosh, @ghoshd7
Fellow, Public Interest Technology and Open Technology Institute, New America
Robert Lord, @RobertKLord
Co Founder and President, Protenus
Fellow, Cybersecurity Initiative, New America
Sonia Sarkar
Fellow, Public Interest Technology, New America
Evanna Hu, @evannahu
CEO and Partner, Omelas

1:00-1:30 PM - Lunch

1:30-2:30 PM - Policy Engagement and Political Activism

This panel discussion will focus on the political and historical context, myths and realities, and political possibilities surrounding youth activism. Featuring Millennial Fellows Christian Hosam and Aaron Noffke in conversation with Georgetown Professor and New America National Fellow Marcia Chatelain, and Split This Rock Youth Coordinator Joseph Green, this panel will address the contemporary challenges and unforeseen strengths of centering young people in political activism.

Dr. Marcia Chatelain, @DrMChatelain
Associate Professor, Georgetown University
Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fellow, New America
Joseph Green, @josephlmsgreen
Director of Youth Programs, Split this Rock

2:30-2:45 PM - Break

2:45-4:00 PM - Expanding the Table: Intergenerational Activism and Policy Change

This interactive panel will highlight the work of youth activists around some of the most critical issues that affect both contemporary and future public policy. In particular, this panel will focus on these issues (immigration and gun control specifically) from often underreported perspectives and engage with the audience on how to practically build movements of change. NAKASEC community organizer Sumi Yi, University of Maryland American Studies PhD candidate Tatiana Benjamin, and youth poet and activist Asha Gardner from Split This Rock will be in conversation with Better Life Lab's Millennial Fellow Roselyn Miller.

Tatiana Benjamin, @benjamminspeaks
American Studies PhD Candidate, University of Maryland, College Park
Sumi Yi
Community Organizer, National Korean American Service & Education Consortium, Virginia
Asha Gardner
Poet-Activist, Split This Rock

4:00-5:00 PM - Reception

Anne-Marie Slaughter, @SlaughterAM
President and CEO, New America