1. YYALE- Youth and Young Adults with Lived Expertise (under the age of 30) 

2. Alumni YYALE- Individuals over the age of 30 with Lived Expertise

3. At-Large Leaders- Individuals 30 and older with current/prior experience as youth-serving providers, movement partners, national organization leaders, etc. 
 
Overview of How You Can Be Involved:

We are seeking individuals who embody the characteristics described to play a central role in inspiring the direction of the movement to end youth homelessness as AWHA Leadership Body members.  
 
The primary responsibility of the Leadership Body is to steer the overall policy and strategic direction of AWHA--building the movement to end youth homelessness--in accordance with our core values. The primary day-to-day operations are performed by the A Way Home America staff team.

As a movement that centers the voices and expertise of LGBTQIA+ Young People and Young People of Color with lived experience with homelessness, over half of our Leadership Body is composed of youth and young adults with lived or living experience with homelessness. The remaining members of the Leadership Body are not required to have lived or living experience with homelessness.

As you consider this opportunity, please review the criteria below. We expect the Leadership Body to be active, committed, consistent, and radical.

Leadership Body Criteria/Eligibility: We seek individuals who embody the following traits:

Innate Qualities: 

AWHA Core Values:
Youth homelessness exists today largely due to America’s long history of structural racism and systemic inequities. In order to end youth homelessness, we will work to ensure our systems work for all youth. We see equity as providing opportunities and resources based on need, realizing not everyone starts in the same place. Justice takes this concept a step further by removing the barriers that impede equal rights and self-determination; it seeks to overturn oppression at its roots. The AWHA Leadership Body members will strengthen their knowledge, skills, attitudes and personal competency to address inequity and injustice, internally and in AWHA external efforts through continual practice of these core principles.

1. Recognize and Center Intersectionality
2. Name and Challenge White Supremacy
3. Engage in Principled Struggle
4. Practice Targeted Universalism
5. Generate Transformative Visions Towards Liberation
6. Create a Culture of Accountability
7. Shift Power to Youth and Young Adults

Budget, time considerations, and what you could gain as a Leadership Body member:
1. While the Leadership Body, once fully constituted, will finalize their meeting schedule, AWHA anticipates the group will meet in-person up to twice annually for one day or longer. Meetings will occur at various locations throughout the country, dovetailing with existing national events or conferences where possible. At-Large Leadership Body members must be able to support their travel to these events, individually or through the agency they work for.

2. Leadership Body meetings will occur twice a month. Leadership Body members should be comfortable with a variety of online meeting formats, including Zoom, Google Hangout, etc.

3. Anticipated time commitment involved is a maximum of 20 hours/month. Both YYALE and Alumni YYALE members will be paid $35 an hour. At-Large older adult members are volunteer, not paid.

4. What you could gain:

This announcement comes with continued and deep appreciation to all leaders in the youth homelessness movement, past and present, who have helped us arrive where we are today - centering race equity, LGBTQIA+ equity and youth leadership in our work. We all move forward together.
 
If you have any questions, please contact us at info@awayhomeamerica.org for more information.