youth liaison

Here's a question - whatever happened to the proposed White House Youth Liaison?

You'll remember that during the Presidential Transition, many youth leaders met with the transition team in DC. Part of that conversation touched on the creation of a White House Youth Liaison - someone to represent Millennials of all ages (not just children) in the White House and help young organizers and policy geeks get their voices heard in the policy making process. I even wrote a memo, submitted to the transition team and endorsed in part by many youth groups, outlining why the position was necessary and what it should aim to accomplish.

Almost three months later, the transition has closed up shop, and rather than more clarity as to the process and what is happening, we seem to have far less. No one seems to have any clue what the White House is thinking wrt the creation of such a position within the Office of Public Liaison, or the process by which a final determination and/or hire for such a position will take place.

One step forward, two steps back. Anyone have any idea what's happening on this front?

Under the George W. Bush Administration, findyouthinfo.gov acted as a sort of clearinghouse for information on community and state programs that work with youth. There is even an interagency working group on youth programs. It's not clear how this working group operates or if it even has members that are young folks.

One issue with this site is that it conflates youth and children. FM has argued that children already have a host of lobbying, advocacy, and practitioner organizations in existence. This site seems promising, however, and if the Obama Administration chooses not to appoint a youth liaison --or if it does-- then expanding and refining findyouthinfo.gov would be a great asset for information on grants, non-profits that work with youth and programs executed by federal agencies.