Issues
Addressing Affordability
Our economy does not work for everyone – plain and simple. Young people are facing rising costs in housing, healthcare, groceries, and everyday expenses while wages remain stagnant and corporate profits soar. Student debt continues to put people in financially difficult situations and make things like owning a home feel more like faraway dream than a potential reality.
We believe in an economy for all – not just the wealthy few. We have to lower costs while increasing wages, and make sure that billionaires and corporations aren’t the ones profiting off of our hard work.
Strengthening Democracy
Young people have lived through attack after attack against our democracy. Instead of representing us, our government is up for sale to the highest bidder. Politicians and their billionaire friends are prioritizing profits over people, pouring billions of dollars into our elections, shaping laws, and buying influence at the expense of everyday Americans
We believe those in power need to know that we care about protecting our democracy. A single election won’t solve this corruption, but we can start the work today to demand more from our leaders and hold people accountable.
Regulating Artificial Intelligence (AI)
In just the last few years, AI has completely changed our lives. Entire workforces have been dismantled by automation, the creative field is under attack by generative “art”, disinformation is running wild with deepfakes. As AI companies expand, they are proliferating states with data centers that harm the environment and take resources from the communities in which they operate to grow their profits. Students are worried about how AI not only will impact their job prospects, safety, and climate.
We believe in regulating AI so it is safe and socially responsible, all while working to minimize its environmental impact. Tech billionaires and those in charge want us to believe that AI is inevitable, but we all deserve a say in how it is used and regulated.
Defending Fundamental Human Rights
Young people have witnessed both historic progress and setbacks on some of the most pressing social issues of our time. Reproductive care has been restricted nationwide following the Dobbs decision, and LGBTQ+ rights — particularly transgender rights – are being chipped away at by billionaire-backed politicians at both the federal and state level.
We believe in protecting and expanding our rights and ensure that generations to come have more, not fewer, rights than their predecessors. We must push back against attempts to restrict our rights and create a more just and equal society.
Advancing Racial Justice
The work of the Civil Rights era carries into today as racial injustice still perpetuates every facet of our lives. Systemic racism and prejudice directly harms Black and Brown communities and keeps our country from collectively moving forward. We have also witnessed a rise in Islamophobia, antisemitism, and anti-AANHPI hate as elected officials and extremists stir division.
We believe in racial justice and refuse to accept anything less. From the laws that govern us to the elected officials that represent us, we must ensure everyone can live a life of dignity and respect.
Protecting Immigrant Communities
The current administration and their billionaire backers want to turn us against each other – stoking fear against people based on where they come from, what they look like, or how they pray so we won’t join together to demand a government that truly works for everyone. They are scapegoating Black and Brown people in our communities, abducting our neighbors, overseeing abusive and inhuman detention centers, and sending the military into our communities so they can seize more power. This is driving away talent as international and undocumented students fear that attending school in the United States could jeopardize their safety.
We believe in showing up and protecting our communities. That means abolishing ICE, keeping our families safe, fighting for due process and equal justice under the law, and voting for leaders who uphold and respect our ideals.
Combatting Climate Change
Young people know that climate change is a real threat, even when those in power turn a blind eye. Destruction from offshore drilling, resource draining from AI data centers, protecting clean air and clean water, continued reliance on fossil fuels — these are just some of the environmental issues we must tackle in order to get our world on a more sustainable path for the future.
We believe in empowering young people to mobilize in person and online to combat climate change. We must continue to put pressure on those in power to prioritize climate change, demand corporate accountability, and advance sustainable policies.
Putting a Stop to Endless Wars
Our tax dollars are currently being used to fund and scale war and violence on a global scale. From the unlawful war in Iran to the genocide in Palestine, the United States is fueling violence while failing to meet the needs of people at home. Students have been on the frontlines pushing back against these wars — and it’s time our leaders listened.
We believe in a government that invests in healthcare, education, and affordable housing, not endless warfare. We must halt actions that further violence abroad and instead invest in work that improves the lives of our communities, neighbors, and families.