Model Letter to the Editor

The following should be submitted to local opinion page editors to run as a reader-submitted editorial or as supporting material for a newspaper editorial. An edited version also can be submitted as an op-ed or letter to the editor, with the signature of a third party: chief executive officer, executive director, young member of the community or another appropriate spokesperson.

  In this time of growth and prosperity, young people are presented with opportunities that prior generations have not been privileged enough to receive. The state of the nation is great; the economy is strong and our country is at peace. But, in this bright new  millennium, all of us witness the challenges - guns in schools and drugs on the streets that America’s children face every day. Now is the time to address these concerns and make youth our No. 1 priority. We have an unprecedented opportunity.

To provide all young people with the resources they need to be successful adults, a  bipartisan group of Members of Congress have proposed the Younger Americans Act. The Act will invest in our community and provide funding to promote youth development, similar to the existing Older Americans Act that provides a nationwide support network for senior citizens.

The Younger Americans Act is endorsed by the National Collaboration for Youth, United Way and America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth (formerly chaired by retired  General Colin L. Powell). The legislation, which was introduced in the House (H.R. 17) by Representative George Miller, and the Senate by James Jeffords (S. 1005), will bolster and expand the efforts of organizations that are already doing an excellent job of serving the young people in our community. For example, here in (your community), (include details on local program that gives youth competencies and character). The act will help sustain and expand this type of program. That is why (your organization or I), along with more than 60 national youth-concerned organizations, support(s) the Younger Americans Act.

The Younger Americans act will give us much-needed resources to ensure all youth become better prepared adults and responsible citizens. Through the funding provided by the Act, our community will benefit from support that youth-service providers, local governments, faith-based groups, and businesses will receive to expand or continue programs that supply youth with relationships with caring adults; safe places with structured activities during non-school hours; health and mental health; marketable skills and competencies through education and youth development; and opportunities to give back through community service and civic participation.

Investing in our young people today - through the Younger Americans Act - ensures our nation will prepare the next generation to lead it into the new millennium.