The convergence of a global health emergency, a stalled economic system, and nationwide anguish and outcry for Black lives has exposed many Americans to problems they had not previously faced: unemployment, housing and food insecurity, and a lack of personal and community safety. But what about the young people in our society for whom these problems have been longstanding and persistent?
The Stoneleigh Foundation hosted a virtual convening to examine how these intersecting crises are being felt acutely among young people experiencing homelessness and a lack of access to basic needs. The renewal of a national conversation about race provides an invaluable opportunity for policymakers, advocates, and funders to confront what service providers have long known: that there is no way to meaningfully address the needs of youth without also addressing deeper systemic racial inequities. Our panelists will offer local and national perspectives on how this moment may provide an unexpected opportunity to address longstanding gaps in policy and practice.
SPEAKERS
Rashni Stanford, MSS
Stoneleigh Emerging Leader Fellow
People’s Emergency Center
Cameron McConkey, MPH
Stoneleigh Emerging Leader Fellow
Youth Health Empowerment Project Health Center, Philadelphia FIGHT
Darla Bardine, JD
Executive Director
National Network for Youth
Stacy E. Holland
Board Member
Stoneleigh Foundation
