'We work for you': Takeaways from the White House Youth Policy Summit
Nearly 90 young people attend a White House Youth Policy Summit at the Department of Education, President Joe Biden joined TikTok, and Rep. Ro Khanna is on Discord.
I was in D.C. this week, where in a first of its kind effort, the White House hosted young people from across the country with an inter-agency event at the Department of Education.
The White House Youth Policy Summit featured panels and conversations focused on mental health and wellbeing, life preparedness and affordability, and job opportunities with key policy makers including Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, and Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su.

I’m told by attendees and Biden Harris administration officials that the programming for the summit, titled ‘Cultivating Possibilities,’ was youth driven – and the goal of the event was to create an environment where young people would voice their concerns about the state of life for American youth before ideating on potential solutions via breakout sessions. Organizers aim to get the group to come back together (virtually) in six months for a progress report.
Q&A with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona
I had the opportunity to Zoom with Secretary Cardona ahead of this week’s summit. I asked about the goals of the event, his thoughts on the state of students in America today, and how the Department of Education can do a better job informing young people about the opportunities the summit was meant to promote — understanding that while this administration continues to tout investments in young people via the CHIPS & Science Act and Inflation Reduction Act, most young Americans aren’t aware those pieces of legislation exist, let alone how they can reap benefits from them.
Top of mind for me these days is young people’s distrust of government and traditional institutions. So I asked about those dynamics, and what the DOE can do to help rebuild trust, especially when it comes to schools.
Beyond that, Secretary Cardona and I spoke about identity in the classroom (and how it’s been complicated by book bans and culture wars) and free speech on campuses as colleges and universities try to lower tensions amid the war between Israel and Hamas.
Here’s some of what Secretary Cardona shared, edited lightly for clarity and brevity.
When you think about the state of students in America right now, what are the top priorities that come to mind?
MC: “The president always talks about possibilities — making it clear to all students about the possibilities… the opportunities and the possibilities for college and careers given all the investments in CHIPS & Science and and the energy provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act. There are so many more possibilities for our students. The possibilities of higher education, thanks to the work that the president's pushing around the SAVE Plan, better FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)… there's so much available for our students. Underlying all that is the possibility to make sure that all students have access because historically in our country, we've done a poor job ensuring equitable outcomes for different subgroups of students.”
What steps is the Department of Education taking to ensure that students are aware of those opportunities?
“We launched a brand new effort under our strategy to raise the bar across the country. We have a strategy specific to increasing awareness and implementation of career pathways. We call it, unlocking career success… we have communication tools for families, for educators, for district superintendents, to governors, mayors’ playbook. For us, it's really important that we make it practical.
I'm really looking forward to talking to students about you know, ‘Give me some advice, give me homework.’ ‘What do I have to do to do a better job communicating with students that you can go a career pathway, and get a high skill, a high paying career without having the burden of college debt that many families are afraid of, or many students feel they're going to carry forever?’ We’re facing that too. But you can get a high paying career that's gonna take care of your family and good benefits without having to do the four year route.
So I want to hear from them, ‘What do you think we need to do to get this message out?’ And not only what can we do, but how can we partner with them to help get the message out?”
You’re bringing youth together with different federal agencies. Studies have shown that young people are losing trust in those very institutions, in the media, in all the traditional powers that be, so to speak. I'm curious what your message is to young people about why they should have faith in the federal government and for your sake, in our country's educational institutions.
“Having them in our buildings, hearing from us to say, ‘This is your Department of Education, we work for you.’
The president has really been intentional about making sure he has a cabinet that looks like America. My lived experience is probably more similar to the students and the youth in that room than with the aggregate of the Washington D.C. folks. So you know, it's really important that they see that these are people that have very similar lived experiences as them so that they can realize that look, 'We were where you are when we were younger, and we wanted to make a difference. And now we're here, and we want to listen to you.’ So I think it's removing that barrier that is there and being honest and being malleable, being willing to listen and say, ‘you know what, I'm going to take that perspective and I'm going to follow up.’
The last thing we need to do is listen and do nothing. So for me, it's really important that we have a follow up. We're going to try to get this [group] back together in six months and give them an opportunity to act on the passion that they have to make this country a better place.”
At a time when books are being banned and identities are being threatened in schools and on campuses across the country, I'm wondering how the Department of Education can best support students in those states and on those post-secondary campuses?
“It's important to be unapologetically you, and as secretary I haven't had to change my stripes to be effective from the barrio to the briefing room. I always say that. And it's important that I communicate that with students. A lot of students are under attack. A lot of state governments have really gone backwards in terms of freedom and rights of students, and it's it's all the more reason why we have to lift up that students should be themselves, and they should be able to express who they are — and without fear or they should be able to speak up if they feel that a systematic attack on Black curriculum is something that they're not going to stand for.
We want to make sure that they know that it is their right and responsibility to speak up and speak truth to power where that's needed. But when all else fails, we have the Office for Civil Rights, and we’re not afraid to investigate cases of students’ civil rights being violated.”
When it comes to speaking up and standing up for what you believe in, especially on college campuses — there’s been a lot of talk about freedom of speech, especially in the wake of October 7 and attacks on students facing antisemitism or Islamophobia. Has progress has been made since the moment of immense tension at the end of last year, and what do the continued efforts look like in that realm?
“Our higher education institutions should be places where students can disagree. It should be a place for you to share your perspective, and then you hear someone else's, and then you become better able to articulate your perspective but also able to maybe empathize with another perspective… That's why people from all other countries want to send their children to the schools in the United States. And that's something that we should treasure.
As a father and as an educator, I'll say in the same breath it crosses a line when a student feels unsafe, or threatened, or harassed. So we have to make sure they're safe learning environments that do support students’ ability to communicate, even if it makes others feel uncomfortable. That's the challenge and the beauty of our higher education institutions.
We heard a lot about cases where it wasn't done well. But we have so many cases across the country where [schools are] looking at this as learning opportunities. The structures are set up where students could disagree civilly and have good dialogue... I visited Dartmouth recently and they have the professors engaging in dialogue. They started this thing called Dartmouth Dialogues where they can have disagreement, and really strengthen their arguments, strengthen their perspective, but to do it in a way where at the end of the day, you're still community and your safety is never in question.
We take it very seriously. So while we have the Office of Civil Rights, that will investigate issues, we also have a plethora of resources if you visit Ed.gov it's right on the front of the page. There are resources there for students, for staff, for colleges to make sure that they're building capacity to allow for those conversations to happen while maintaining student safety and staff safety.”
🔔 Young adults chime in
At the summit, I sat down with two attendees — Naomi Cruz Ojeda, who’s 24 and from Austin, Texas, and Marquan Teetz, who’s 22 and from Wichita, Kansas.
Cruz, who was naturalized as a U.S. citizen last year, shared concerns about mental health for American youth of all backgrounds, as well as access to healthcare especially for undocumented and low income people.
Teetz’s brother died in 2021 after being in police custody and struggling with what he described as “a lack of mental health services” in the foster care program. As a result, he described working on issues related to juvenile justice and “against fees and fines for juveniles.”
On trust: I asked Cruz Ojeda and Teetz their take on young people’s lack of trust in institutions — ironic, as we sat in a federal building in the nation’s capital.
The pair described feeling a sense of disillusionment with the status quo themselves, but cautioned young people from disengaging because they don’t trust the system. They said the only way to regain trust is to lean in and “to get involved.”
“I’m somebody who has definitely lost trust in federal agencies, plenty of times,” said Teetz. “It feels like because there’s no accountability, that’s why we lose the trust… The blanket is pulled over and [lawmakers] are exposed, but yet nothing happens,” he said.
“When I was younger I was so distrusting of the system. How am I supposed to trust the system that may deport me, deport people that I love and care for?… How am I supposed to trust the system that is taking away affirmative action? That is taken away DEI resources for LGBTQIA plus? DACA recipients have to pay more money, now they don't even have resource centers of their colleges because of those types of policies, those types of attacks… why do I have to wait almost an hour for the bus to get from point A to point B?,’” said Cruz. “It’s very hard to trust those systems because they push us down and down.”
The collaboration at the summit, they said, it a great example of how to cultivate the trust that’s been lost.
“As far as reintegrating that trust – you have to get involved if you want to really be engaged. If you’re not involved, you can talk all you want – but no ones going to hear you. If you want to see the change, you’re going to have to go be that change, regardless of the lack of trust,” said Teetz.
“I'm [of] a strong belief that work with the good people of the system to dismantle the bad people this system,” said Cruz. “These spaces, these youth that we’re bringing together are so valuable because they have, honestly it’s cheesy to say, but risen from the ashes.”
“Sometimes you feel very small in these big spaces and you feel that your changes aren’t big enough or significant enough. But if you help two people, five people in your neighborhood or your classroom that is a start,” she said.
Cruz and Teetz are unique examples of young people who have at times lost trust but are committed to enacting change. In their own words, they’re determined, passionate, and driven. But not all young Americans are. In fact, many aren’t.
My question leaving the summit is what could be done to help get the ones who aren’t — the ones who are likely the most skeptical — in rooms and at events like these? The youth policy summit is one example of the type of conversation that could be far more prominent — and there’s youth appetite for it, too.
Who was there?
Nearly 90 young people attended the summit from groups such as: Advocates for Youth, YR Media, Young Invincibles, Civics Unplugged, Think of Us— amongst many others.
💡 Worth noting
As the summit kicked off, YR Media — a network for journalists ages 18-24 from underrepresented communities — shared a video with voices of young people across the country. They discussed top issues including: housing accessibility, student loans, low wages, wealth building, and gun violence.
Asked what the administration should focus on, respondents said: mentorship and opportunity, education, solutions to gun violence, and housing accessibility. Asked what the administration should know, respondents emphasized the need for equitable resources regardless of insurance or income and the importance of social media platforms like TikTok. Speaking of…
Welcome to TikTok, President Biden
In an effort to engage younger audiences, the Biden Harris reelection campaign joined TikTok this week, posting for the first time smack-dab in the middle of the Super Bowl with a video riffing on the wild conspiracy that President Joe Biden rigged the game in the Kansas City Chiefs’ favor to receive a well timed endorsement from Taylor Swift, who’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, is the Chiefs’ tight end.
So far, the Biden Harris HQ account has over 145K followers and 1M likes. Beyond the meme-like first post, they’ve shared news clips, clips of former President Donald Trump, and a behind the scenes conversation with campaign operatives.
Curious how young people and prominent TikTokers are responding to the president’s foray onto the app? I spoke with a group of them for POLITICO Magazine — and then joined Steven Overly and Hailey Fuchs on the POLITICO Tech podcast to talk about it. You can read more, hear more, and see more, here:
TikTokers Have Some Advice For Joe Biden’s New Account, Here’s how the president can avoid becoming a “how do you do, fellow kids?” meme.
The U.S. President is on TikTok. Now What?
Biden’s not the only politician on the left racking up views on TikTok, and using new platforms to engage with organizers
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California has been capitalizing on TikTok — recently getting millions of views on his videos explaining news from the Israel Hamas war (the Congressman continues to call for a ceasefire), advocating for affordable housing, and against the pharmaceutical industry.
‘Team Khanna’ also recently launched a Discord server (an online chatroom), which according to a Google doc form encouraging organizers to sign up will “help progressives get organized, share resources, and gain momentum.”