One of the toughest decisions faced by members of the Black Swan Academy during a recent tour of the Wilson Building was what to eat for lunch. Pizza was the obvious choice, but a delivery order fell through. It took about half an hour for the young advocates to settle on chicken as the backup plan.
Around a dozen members of the BSA, a local nonprofit that advocates for Black youth, visited the D.C. Council headquarters earlier this week with an ambitious goal: find a council member to sponsor legislation that would create a Youth Governing Council.
“I think it’s so important for us to have a seat at the table right now, with everything that’s going on and D.C. autonomy and youth autonomy being at risk,” said 17-year-old Nubia Binyam, who goes to Benjamin Banneker High School.
The new youth council would be made up of 35 members between the ages of 11 and 22, representing all eight wards. The hope is that this group would have the power to weigh in on any legislation brought before the D.C. Council. The effort would also revise the D.C. Youth Advisory Council Establishment Act of 2002, allowing members of the council to receive academic credit, community service hours or compensation up to $2,400 a year for their time.
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“This would be really important because a lot of kids need jobs to support their families,” Binyam said. “They should also be able to weigh in on the government and have a seat. It shouldn’t just be for people who already are provided for.”
Almost all council members were out of their offices the day of the BSA’s visit, leaving the group to speak mostly with senior staff members. With several new council members expected in January, the young organizers don’t expect their legislation to be adopted this fall.
Organizers like Binyam say they want the YGC to have a say on all legislation that impacts young people in the city, including conflict-resolution measures and other youth programs. After an initial application process and interviews, D.C. Council members would be able to appoint three representatives from their respective wards. At least three members of the youth council would be made up of young people from homes earning less than 60% of the city’s median income. The group would have advisers and a coordinator, who serves as a full-time staff member.
This is not the first time that Black Swan has tried to get a bill on the council’s radar. Members of the organization tried to introduce similar legislation last year. On Monday’s visit, organizers carried wallets stuffed with play money, a prop meant to symbolize one of the group’s core issues: affordability.
Another major issue is the city’s permanent curfew. In July, legislation created through the Youth Curfew Amendment Act of 2026 went into effect across the city. It prohibits anyone under the age of 18 from being out in public places after midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, or after 11 p.m. between Sunday and Thursday during the school year.
“You can’t even walk anywhere or go anywhere without someone assuming that you’re going to a teen takeover,” said 15-year-old Cymiah Best, a 10th grader at McKinley Tech High School.
A lack of third spaces for teens and “the overpolicing” of young people, especially by federal agents and the National Guard, were also prominent topics in the group’s early discussions around a council.
“As a youth, this could really impact the way we think about police because you know some people be like, ‘Police are bad,’ but it comes from somewhere,” 15-year-old Naomi Bonilla said. “It doesn’t just naturally happen.”
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