Reaffirming the NAACP's Commitment to Outreach of Young Adult Members

WHEREAS, membership is the lifeblood of the NAACP; and

WHEREAS, the current age demographic of NAACP members include youth members under the age of 21 and adult members over age of 40; and

WHEREAS, young adults and professionals are significant force-multipliers within the community, tend to be highly civically engaged and active in aggressively creating change; and

WHEREAS, the Young Adult Committee is a standing Branch committee with the objective to recruit young adult members; and

WHEREAS, initiatives such as the Leadership 500 Summit which recognizes and provides programmatic training for young professional members; and

WHEREAS, many former youth council and college chapter members do not become active members of a local Branch; and

WHEREAS, young adults and professionals between the ages of 21 and 40 could have a stronger presence in the NAACP especially if they are afforded the resources or support that specifically caters to this population; and

WHEREAS, this young adult and professional population has a critical role to play in the future of the NAACP in terms of leadership, talent, resources and capacity; and

WHEREAS, the longevity of the NAACP would benefit from investing in a progressive young adult and professional base; and

WHEREAS, an organization better reflective of the broad demographics of our community would allow the NAACP to continue to remain relevant.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP will form an Advisory Group to include youth, young adults and professionals to develop a plan to recruit, retain, and engage young adult and young professional members in the work of the NAACP; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP Membership Department will develop and implement a membership campaign targeted in recruiting young adult and young professional members between the ages of 21 and 40 to become active members in Branches; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that material developed for training and other NAACP endeavors include content relevant to these groups.