NYC Youth Leaders Take to Broadway Sidewalk for Innovative “Civic Stroll” to Launch 2026–2030 Policy Agenda
Hundreds of Young New Yorkers Unveil Four-Year Policy Vision on Housing, Economic Mobility, Mental Wellbeing, and Neighborhood Wellbeing Directly Outside City Hall
NEW YORK, NY — October 11, 2026 — On Thursday, October 29, 2026, the NYC Youth Agenda powered by the Intergenerational Change Initiative is a youth think tank and policy innovation hub representing young leaders across the five boroughs, will gather at City Hall Park to officially launch the 2026–2030 NYC Youth Agenda. Transforming the Broadway sidewalk perimeter into an interactive, open-air “Civic Stroll,” youth researchers and advocates will present data-driven policy recommendations across four critical areas: Housing, Economic Mobility, Mental Wellbeing, and Neighborhood Wellbeing.
The coalition, founded in 2021 as a cross-sector partnership between the Intergenerational Change Initiative (ICI), Citizens’ Committee for Children (CCC), the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), and YVote-alongside Working the Gap, the NYC Health Department’s Youth Committee on Mental Health, and the Office of Neighborhood Safety’s Youth Leadership Council-is shifting from an annual report to an ambitious four-year cycle aligned with the mayoral administration.
Grounded in findings from the Intergenerational Change Initiative’s annual Youth Ask Youth (YAY) Census, which surveys hundreds of young New Yorkers across the city, followed by collaborative design sessions at the Winter Dataland assembly and Spring Policy Design Studio, the 2026–2030 agenda lays out concrete structural solutions to ensure young people can afford to live, thrive, and stay in New York City:
Housing Security: Bold measures to clear NYCHA maintenance backlogs, establish youth-focused Single Room Occupancy housing, and expand permanent affordable housing for youth through Community Land Trusts (CLTs).
Economic Mobility: Reductions in transit fares (half-price public transit access), dedicated funding for youth entrepreneurship and licensing coaching, and pathways to quality, transferable skills in city-funded youth employment programs.
Mental Wellbeing: Expanding the network of holistic, school- and community-based mental health resources, scaling models like the peer-led Joy Centers, building a youth mental health workforce and developing youth-focused mental health resources designed in collaboration with youth.
Neighborhood Wellbeing: Targeted investments in year-round, youth-powered green jobs, clean community environments monitored via youth-led initiatives, expanded foodways, and community safety programs.
“NYC Youth Agenda is built on research, imagination, and intergenerational action,” said Glenasia Davis, youth member with Working the Gap and the NYC Youth Agenda. “We are turning youth-generated data into real policy so that New York feels like a home where young people can actually afford to stay. Moving our launch onto the public sidewalk right outside City Hall reflects where our power is: right in the community, meeting the city where it lives.”
“After releasing five annual Youth Agendas and tracking municipal follow-through, we knew our vision required deeper institutionalization,” said Aaron George, two-year NYC Youth Agenda member and DOHMH Youth Committee representative. “This four-year agenda is designed to guide long-term city commitments and establish a genuine culture of youth-driven governance.”
Rather than a static rally, the October 29 activation will feature mobile, roaming policy stations equipped with digital briefings, handheld graphic displays, and live battery-powered presentations along the Broadway sidewalk. Key municipal agency leaders and elected officials have been invited to review youth-led briefs and provide direct remarks on implementation pathways.
EVENT DETAILS
What: 2026–2030 NYC Youth Agenda Launch
Who: NYC Youth Agenda members, intergenerational researchers, community advocates, youth from other community organizations and invited city commissioners/officials
When: Thursday, October 29, 2026
4:30 PM: "Civic Stroll" open engagement & mobile policy stations
5:00 PM: Youth-led formal program & policy presentation
5:30 PM: City official responses & leadership dialogues
6:00 PM: Program conclusion
Where: Broadway Sidewalk Perimeter at City Hall Park (Between Murray St & Park Row), New York, NY
For more information, to RSVP, or to request interview availability with Lead Members of NYC Youth Agenda, please contact Jennifer Tang at nycyouthagenda@gmail.com.