The NYSYLC
Amplifying immigrant voices is essential to me, and that’s why I partner with the New York State Youth Leadership Council to raise awareness and support.
The NYSYLC (or YLC for short) was founded in 2007 to empower immigrant youth to organize and create change. They teach political education and work with students to access higher education, internships, and jobs. They organize Dream Teams, kind of like after-school clubs, in highschools and college campuses for undocumented students to gather, to learn together and advocate for change. They work with educators across the education spectrum to leverage their expertise and access for changes to the public and private education landscape, fighting to create more equitable and just schools for all immigrants. As if that wasn’t enough, they lead national and state advocacy initiatives for law and policy change, raising awareness among public officials and the media. Did you know they are largely responsible for the drafting and passing of the NY State DREAM Act?
As the pandemic devastated communities in New York, undocumented folks were, and continue to be, disproportionately hit by the inequities in federal and state support. Undocumented workers have always been essential- yet are continuously treated as disposable, or invisible. The YLC has raised over $140,000 of direct support for undocumented youth and their families and we know that the pandemic is far from over, and so is the fundraising.
That's why, as a recipient of DACA myself, I’m proud to support the YLC. 30% of the profits from the sales of the Belong Collection went directly to the YLC! This is immigrant power.
