NYS Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins with members of her Youth Advisory Council
New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins hosted her Annual Social Justice Fair for members of her Youth Advisory Council (YAC) at the Greenburgh Public Library on Tuesday. The fair, now in its second year, brought together local organizations and advocates to connect directly with Westchester’s next generation of leaders.
The fair provided YAC members, a group of 50 high school students from across Westchester County, with the opportunity to engage one-on-one with experts from a variety of fields, including criminal justice, human rights, the environment, and more. Students learned about volunteer opportunities, internships, and ways to become involved in meaningful social justice work within their own communities.
“Social justice is a topic that resonates deeply with the members of my Youth Advisory Council. Issues like voting rights, criminal justice reform, and equality are at the forefront of young people’s minds,” said Senator Stewart-Cousins. “I organized this event after hearing directly from my YAC members, as an opportunity for them to explore these topics and hear directly from local organizations working on the front lines of critical issues.”
Organizations represented at the fair included the Afya Foundation, CHOICE of NY, Feeding Westchester, Groundwork Hudson Valley, Hope’s Door, Make the Road New York, Neighbors Link, New Bridges Coalition, Nonprofit Westchester, OCA Westchester and Hudson Valley, Pace Women’s Justice Center, P-CoC, the LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center, Volunteer New York!, Westchester County Human Rights Commission, Westchester County Youth Bureau, Westchester Women’s Agenda, and Westchester Youth Alliance.
Each organization shared their mission and current initiatives, while offering students guidance on how they could take action to effect positive change in their communities.
“As youth, we are the future. It’s so important that we cultivate these interests, continue to explore what we’re interested in, and get involved in the issues that are most important to us,” said Yonkers High School senior and YAC member Jillian Maher. “This event is a testament to Sen. Stewart-Cousins’ drive to help youth, to make sure that our voices are heard, by introducing us to a variety of opportunities that can help further our interest in social justice.”
“I’m really excited to be at an event like this with so many enthusiastic persons,” said Shepard Verbas, fair housing education and outreach coordinator for the Westchester County Human Rights Commission. “It’s incredibly important that young people are involved in social justice work. They bring new ideas, they know what the issues are, and they’re passionate about making a change in their communities.”
“Young people are the drivers of social change, and I am inspired by their energy, curiosity, and passion,” said Sen. Stewart-Cousins.
