When the country feels more divided than ever, what does it take to reimagine civic life? Across the U.S., young people aren’t waiting for permission — they’re building trust, connection, and community right now. At the 2025 National Conference on Citizenship, a few of them shared what civic resilience can really look like.
Elijah Lee, 17
Elijah Lee started his advocacy journey in first grade after a friend told him she was being abused. He’s now a national voice for protecting and empowering young people. As a 2024 Youth Civic Solutions Competition winner, he launched Project Legislaytion, leading youth lobby days at the Virginia General Assembly to push for better teacher pay and youth representation on school boards.
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We’re not only the future voters, future leaders. We’re the leaders of today, the changemakers of today, the voters of today.
Elijah Lee 2024 Youth Civic Solutions Competition Winner
Anthony Akator Jr., 17 & Pragya Upreti, 22
Anthony and Pragya, Fellows and founding members of the Youth Advisory Council (YAC), are making sure young people have a real voice in how colleges prepare students for civic life. The YAC published a proposal calling on College Presidents for Civic Preparedness to co-create programs with young people, not just for them, that push for more accountability and transparency.
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Policymaking doesn’t just belong to a politician or to an institution. It belongs to all those it affects.
Anthony Akator Jr. 2023 Youth Civic Impact Fellow, Founding YAC Member, 2025 Carnegie Young Leaders Coach
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When we create spaces for administrators to be able to opt in and say, yes, I uphold these principles of creating a civically engaged body of students and ensuring that they have access to these opportunities, that’s wonderful. But what about the administrators that aren’t upholding those standards?
Pragya Upreti 2020 Civic Spring Fellow, Founding YAC Member
Karrington Harried, 15
Karrington, a Carnegie Young Leader and team lead of Moments That Matter, is bringing together 50 students and 50 seniors across two retirement homes in Laurel, MD. Her work is simple but powerful: intergenerational connections build a stronger community.
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Each connection may look small—a game of cards, a shared story, a walk outside—but the impact is profound. These visits chip away at loneliness, strengthen mental health, and remind both generations that they matter and belong. As these relationships grow, our community will begin to look different—less isolation, more connected, and more consideration.
Karrington Harried 2025 Carnegie Young Leader
Asher Pitofsky, 17 & Mohammad Mushfiquzzaman, 17
At the Our Voices Summit, things got real. Asher spoke about his work teaching entrepreneurial skills to incarcerated people preparing to reenter society. Mohammad pushed back and shared what it’s like living in a neighborhood impacted by violence. What started as a tense moment turned into real understanding (and even friendship!)
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We got to know each other… we became great friends. We stayed in touch. This kind of experience shows that even though something started off a little unstable, it turned into a great connection.
Mohammad Mushfiquzzaman Our Voices Summit Participant
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One thing I’ll take away is actually a quote that Mohammed said… there can be two truths.
Asher Pitofsky Our Voices Summit Participant
Yeeun Park, 16
Yeeun is a Carnegie Young Leader who’s making sure young people have both a seat and a say in decision-making within school boards and local government. Her team, Youth Policymakers of Tomorrow, has already partnered with 15 civic organizations across the country.
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Where are the youth when it matters the most?… We hope to create a platform and a hub and a space for youth to feel comfortable enough to not be a passive listener, but an actual active engager.
Yeeun Park 2025 Carnegie Young Leader
Noah Bardash (Millennial mentor and ally)
Noah is a Carnegie Young Leaders coach mentoring five teams, helping them navigate challenges, work with community stakeholders, and meet project milestones. He trusts young people to lead and supports them as they solve problems their own way.
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When we take away the ability for young people to make decisions in their own lives, that conditions them to not search for their answers themselves. One of the amazing things about Carnegie Young Leaders is that the team members are the ones. They’re figuring out what to do with their resources. They’re figuring out who they need to talk to… we’re giving them the autonomy to make those decisions.
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