A few weeks back we had our annual Economic Patriot Award Dinner, and among the short list of speakers (which included award recipient New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg) was Yoni Gruskin, Executive Director of the youth advocacy group, Concerned Youth of America (CYA). A sophomore from The University of Pennsylvania, he gave an inspired and inspiring address that spoke to the timelessness of partiotism and an honest sense of American stewardship shared across generations.
A few weeks back we had our annual Economic Patriot Award Dinner, and among the short list of speakers (which included award recipient New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg) was Yoni Gruskin, Executive Director of the youth advocacy group, Concerned Youth of America (CYA). A sophomore from The University of Pennsylvania, he gave an inspired and inspiring address that spoke to the timelessness of partiotism and an honest sense of American stewardship shared across generations.
Whether its a new face, or the true face, Yoni put a good face on the idea of “youth outreach.” Where many once read the term to mean an empowered generation of elders shaking up the silent and disaffected youth, this dynamic leader, not long out of highschool, redefined it as the youth reaching out to their seniors as if to say, “We’re here, we’ve been listening, and we mean serious business.” The enthusiasm and profesionalism of Yoni, his colleagues at CYA, and his peers at other youth organizations rising up around the country, all give us at Concord great comfort as the generation with the most at stake takes matters into their own hands.
Check out a clip of his speech below.
–Stefan Byrd-Kreuger
