Dear Friends,
As an organization founded by and for servant leaders, the YEO Network is committed to supporting YEOs in
bringing freedom, fairness, and opportunity to their communities. In order to further improve and focus the policy
impact of Network members, we ensure that YEOs use the National Convening and its policy councils as a space to
flesh out an annual agenda reflective of the needs of their communities and all Americans.
Our 10th anniversary National Convening was the largest in YEO Network history, and it contained diverse voices
united in one call – the need to address and end inequity. From institutional racism to the lack of economic
opportunity, gendered pay gaps, educational outcomes, health disparities, voter suppression, and biases within our
criminal justice system, YEOs are prioritizing the restoration of justice.
The YEO Network team is proud to release the 2015 Policy Book, a member-driven endeavor reflective of the YEO
community. Using an intentional lens of fighting inequity and restoring justice, we compiled over 65 policies for the
2015 Policy Book, with one in four authored by YEOs. Drafted by members and partners of the Network, the policies
and programs highlighted in this year’s book focus on the five issue areas most important to YEOs:
Expanding Democracy
This plenary opened the 2015 National Convening policy series with a focus on democratic reforms that
undergird our entire political system. The discussion examined the national landscape, but focused on
challenges and opportunities in cities and states to expand access, empower voters, regulate campaign
finance, and create impactful change.
Empowering and Educating Communities
This year, we focused on approaches to education that support children and families from early childhood
through professional life. The panel covered parent and community engagement, as well as issues of equity in
opportunity and achievement. YEOs and partners considered alternatives to high-stakes testing, wraparound
services, and discipline reforms for improved student outcomes.
Building an Inclusive Society
The national landscape from the past year has been marred by the realities of inequality and inequity – the
brutal boiling points of Ferguson and Baltimore; the persistent poverty of our urban and rural centers in
California, Wisconsin, New York, and across the South; and the fatal hate crimes against the Arab, Middle
Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities in the Midwest. This is not the “American Way.”
This year’s Healthy and Inclusive Society plenary pivoted towards the call to build a truly inclusive society, and
sought to address the systemic inequities faced by all of our marginalized communities.
2015 POLICY BOOK
INTRO
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