By Jenna Yingling ’21
Joe Biden was officially declared president-elect on Saturday, November 7th. Biden’s victory can be largely accredited to the youth vote, with 53-56% of people ages 18 to 29 casting ballots, surpassing the 49-52% youth participation in the 2016 election.
Whether they voted for Biden or not, American youth should know how the Biden Administration will affect their daily lives and futures.
Biden plans to increase student resources by doubling the number of psychologists, counselors, nurses, and social workers in and available to schools. He recognizes that while many young people struggle with mental illness, most schools are not adequately equipped to handle this issue. Biden is also in favor of expanding the community school model, which would start a dialogue with families to identify their unmet needs, then leverage community resources to fulfill them.
Biden also wants to increase accessibility to more practical and career-oriented classes for high school students. He plans to do this by investing in school vocational training and partnerships between high schools, community colleges, and employers. The Biden Administration claims that these types of partnerships will give students the opportunity to earn an industry credential upon graduation, readying them for stable careers. Additionally, Biden will allow Pell grants to be applied to Dual Enrollment programs, allowing more students to earn college credit in high school.
Biden wants to implement policies that support students beyond high school as well. His goal is to provide two years of community college without debt for hard-working individuals. This initiative would be feasible through a federal-state partnership, where the federal government covers 75% of the costs, and the states take care of the remaining expenses. Biden’s ideas for education extend to universities, by making education programs from public colleges and universities tuition-free for families making less than $125,000 a year.
Additionally, Biden has committed to tackling climate change, as this issue will affect young people long-term. His goal for the United States is to create a 100% clean energy economy and reach net-zero emissions no later than the year 2050. He intends to make these changes through executive orders and congressional legislation.
Biden acknowledges that climate change is a global issue and requires global cooperation in order to be combatted. He will immediately reenter the US in the Paris Agreement, an alliance amongst countries in the United Nations with a main goal of producing a sustainable future and regulating the global temperature.
More information about President-Elect Biden’s youth policies can be found at https://joebiden.com/joes-vision/.
This article is very informational 🙂
I think it’s important for young people to be aware of politics.