July 23, 2007

National Network for Youth (NN4Y) has been working to raise awareness of youth homelessness for more than 30 years. When Virgin Mobile informed us of their plans to launch the Strip2Clothe campaign, we knew it would get attention-- and the issue of youth homelessness needs more attention. Our first steps were to assess feedback and try to find a comfortable place where both our members and Virgin Mobile could reach their goals.

During the test phase, our members and others who viewed the videos gave us the clear message that the theme and content were unacceptable. At that time, we declined to officially partner or promote strip2clothe while still offering members who wished to be a beneficiary of the program that opportunity.

As of July 21, Virgin Mobile heard those same voices and responded in kind. The have replaced the campaign with Blank2Clothe -- encouraging participants to share their personal talents or interests – be it dancing, juggling or jumping rope - through viral videos “all of which will showcase the most creative, funny and clean activities America's young adults can offer in the name of generating new clothing for homeless kids.”

NN4Y is pleased that Virgin Mobile is willing to find a comfortable place for everyone and look forward to feedback from our members. By changing the program to Blank2Clothe, they are engaging the passionate voices out there in shaping this program and letting all of us demonstrate how we all want to engage in this important issue.

We continue to support Virgin Mobile USA's efforts to raise awareness of youth homelessness and again offer our members the opportunity to receive the clothes from this campaign. We are grateful for both the input we received from our members and Virgin Mobile USA's recognition of their concerns. Finally, NN4Y invites you all to Blank2Clothe to help homeless youth at www.blank2clothe.com OR text the word KARMA to 68405.

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NN4Y is proud to announce its first ever cooperative meeting with the American Bar Association. The ABA meeting in Seattle is being generously supported by Casey Family Programs and we have local law firm support, along with nearly 200 attendees committed.

We hope to learn from each other on issues surrounding youth homelessness and aging out, as well as how to work within the legal system to make a real impact for the youth we serve. All of these people are on board to help and we believe good things will come of this partnership for youth across the country.

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On behalf of National Network for Youth, academy award nominated actor Djimon Hounsou testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, April 29, 2008. Mr. Hounsou joined Mark Redmond, executive director of Spectrum Youth and Family Services in Burlington, Vermont; former homeless youth Michael Hutchins; Jerome Kilbane, executive director, Covenant House Philadelphia; and National Network for Youth CEO Victoria Wagner in an effort to inform congress of the great need to support and fund programs for the millions of homeless and runaway youth throughout the country.

"The backbone of this nation's runaway and homeless youth network are the RHY programs throughout the country," says Ms. Wagner. "Without these agencies and their programs, these youth have no where to go. During fiscal year 2007 alone, RHY programs served over 740,000 disconnected youth."

National Network for Youth is proud to announce a collaborative effort with YouthNoise.org to register young voters in 2008. Youth in our programs number in the thousands, and that many voters can make a difference: it can shape the tone of the conversation, make our issues their issues, and become a force for change for runaway and homeless youth across the nation.

Please visit YouthNoise.org's website to find out more, and be sure to register to vote (and tell your friends to also!).

Rep. Rubén Hinojosa is a tireless champion for runaway and homeless youth. His work sponsoring the Place to Call Home Act and caring for the needs of youth nationwide bestowed upon his the "Champions of Youth" Award at the 2008 NN4Y Symposium. Rep. Hinojosa was touched by the honor, and we were touched by his acceptance of it with his presence and kind remarks. We have included the full text of his speech here.

(Rep. Hinojosa, January 29, 2008)

Good Evening. I am honored and humbled to receive this award from the National Network for Youth. To me, you are the champions. You stand up for disconnected, unaccompanied and homeless youth everyday. You do not allow children to slip through the cracks.

The National Network for Youth is a vocal and effective advocate for homeless youth. That does not happen by accident. It takes leadership. I would like to commend your CEO Victoria Wagner and your DC team of Bob Reeg and Mishaela Duran for their tireless work to advance the Network's goals.

I would like to congratulate Bob Edward of XM Radio and Virgin Atlantic for being recognized as champions for homeless youth. Tackling youth homelessness takes champions from all sectors. It is a privilege to share this evening with them.

It is with some sorrow that I join you tonight. We recently lost a tremendous champion in our quest to end homelessness. We will dearly miss Congresswoman Julia Carson from Indiana, and tonight we should pledge to continue her legacy.

I applaud your work on behalf of our most vulnerable children and adults. In the United States, a nation of great wealth, of great resources, and great capacity, everyone should have a place to call home. Yet today, more and more families are confronting the very real possibility of losing their homes and becoming homeless. Your work is more important now than ever.

I am pleased to be working with the National Network for Youth to put the Place to Call Home campaign on our legislative agenda.

For the past year, we have been working to craft the Place to Call Home Act. The legislation is designed to prevent and end runaway and homeless situations among our nation's youth. It is ambitious in scope – because the causes of and solutions to youth homelessness are complex.

We need a comprehensive approach – one that identifies all of our agencies and congressional committees that can help mend the social safety net that is torn for homeless youth. Our bill will improve programs and remove barriers to services for homeless and other disconnected youth in permanent housing, in healthcare, in secondary education, higher education, job training, juvenile justice, and child welfare.

I am happy to report that our support is growing. We have 26 cosponsors for this legislation in the House and 3 in the Senate. Remember these bill numbers – H.R. 3409 and S. 2111. I hope that you will take some time while you are here in Washington to convince more members of Congress and Senators to cosponsor these bills.

We are moving this bill into law piece by piece. In the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, we fixed the financial aid form for homeless youth. In the bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act – the College Opportunity and Affordability Act -- we are working to ensure that our TRIO and GEAR UP programs are responsive to the needs of disconnected youth and have included a new authority for campuses to design supportive services—including housing to keep disconnected youth on campus and on track for graduation.

Later this year, we may consider the reauthorization of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act – another key piece of the Place to Call Home Act. Congresswoman Berkeley on the Ways and Means Committee is championing the pieces of the Place to Call Home Act that fall under her committee's jurisdiction.

We are truly on the move but need your help. Your energy and advocacy can create the will to get the job done. You can show policy makers -- at the local, state and federal levels—that we can end youth homelessness. We know what is needed. We know what works.

We just have to muster the will and the resources and maintain our focus.

Thank you this prestigious award. It will serve to remind me of our shared goal to ensure that every young person in America has a Place to Call Home.

National Network for Youth honored VIRGIN MOBILE with the Golden Pen Award in addition to recognizing REPRESENTATIVE RUBEN HINOJOSA and XM RADIO as Champions of Runaway and Homeless Youth at the "Champions of Youth" dinner at the National Network for Youth's annual Symposium 2008: A Blueprint for the Future, on Tuesday, January 29, 2008, at 6:30PM at The Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert St, NW, Washington, DC. Also honored were: