webinar

Youth Leaders on Economic Justice

Creating Pathways to Opportunity for All

Young people deserve economic and workforce development policies that enable them and their families to thrive.

Past Event

DATE

June 19, 2025

TIME

3-4p ET / noon-1p PT

LOCATION

Virtual

Economic and workforce policies designed for thriving youth

Join Grantmakers for Thriving Youth and the National Collaborative for Transformative Youth Policy as we talk with young people and field leaders about the impact of current economic and workforce policies, how they can be reimagined toward economic justice for all, and what roles philanthropy can play.

Co-Sponsored by Youth Transition Funders Group and Elevate Children Funders Group.

This program is free and open to all. GTY’s webinars and funder learning opportunities are made possible through the time and expertise of presenters from the field.

In the spirit of transparency, GTY will make available the list of webinar participants to presenters upon request, unless the registrant requests to remain anonymous (please indicate your preference via the registration form).

Speakers

Juan De Los Santos

New Deal for Youth Changemaker

Juan De Los Santos is a graduate of California State University, Dominguez Hills, with a Bachelor’s degree in History. He is a New Deal for Youth Changemaker and has worked with California Youth Connection (CYC) for over two years, serving in various roles, including as a commissioner on the Member Executive Commission—and holding critical positions within the LA chapter. He has also been a part of the LA Foster Power Coalition, which comprises four member organizations, including CYC.

Juan’s motivation to be part of these spaces of change stems largely from his lived experience within the foster care system and his drive to transform it for the better.

Alex Dray

Director of Organizing, Young People’s Alliance

Young People’s Alliance is an organization engaging and activating young people across the country to form a bipartisan youth movement aimed at getting policy solutions to our generation’s toughest problems. As Director of Organizing, Alex currently manages YPA’s grassroots mobilization arm across university campuses, community colleges, and high schools primarily in North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Through conversations and activities with thousands of young people, YPA has gained insightful knowledge about the real economic and democratic problems facing our generation and the best ways to mobilize young people to be active in solving these issues.

MaKaila Eddings

Founder, Griot Sisters

MaKaila Eddings is a passionate youth advocate, community organizer, and founder of Griot Sisters, an emerging organization focused on uplifting inner-city girls through mentorship, storytelling, and holistic empowerment. Raised in Southeast Washington, DC, MaKaila’s work is rooted in lived experience and a deep commitment to creating safe, supportive spaces for young women navigating systemic challenges.

She serves on multiple youth advisory boards, including DC Action and the DC Girls Coalition, where she helps lead conversations around housing justice, education access, and youth economic opportunity. Known for her leadership, MaKaila bridges policy and grassroots organizing to ensure that the voices of young people, especially Black girls, are not just heard, but centered.

Currently studying Human Relations at Trinity Washington University, MaKaila balances her advocacy with caregiving responsibilities and continued work to build Griot Sisters into a lasting force for sisterhood, leadership, and generational healing. Her mission is clear: to transform cycles of trauma into pathways for resilience, representation, and radical change.

Co-Sponsored by

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GTY is a funders’ forum promoting equitable systems, structures and opportunities for young people to thrive in learning, work, citizenship and life.

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