Hey y’all!

Last week, President Joe Biden started his first few days in office with a wave of executive orders, memorandums, and proclamations. (Here’s a quick overview of some of the first ones he signed.) He took action on issues impacting young people across the country, from COVID to DACA to the environment to student loan forbearance -- and rightfully so, after young voters helped secure his victory in so many states.

The 2020 election may be over, and now our elected leaders’ work truly begins. To make sure they’re listening, we gathered opinions from the DoSomething community on what young people want from their new lawmakers and sent directly to Congress, President Biden, and Vice President Harris. Check out Poll Call: The Young American Priority List.

Let’s Do This,

Jackie

Physical Distancing Hasn’t Stopped the DoSomething Community From Supporting Their Senior Homies

Coronavirus cases are starting to trend down after a surge these past few weeks, and vaccine rollouts are underway globally. However, the fight’s definitely not over yet, as countries face new strains and vaccine shortages and delays. Now’s the time for us to stay strong and help each other make it through this new phase in the pandemic response.

As states tighten and extend their COVID-19 restrictions, folks are feeling the continued impact of physical distancing -- especially older adults. Within the first two months of the pandemic, feelings of isolation and loneliness have doubled among folks ages 50-80. That’s why DoSomething members are safely reaching out to older adults in their lives to fight isolation through our Senior Homies campaign and sharing #tbt photos of their conversation.

“Anne and I shared stories with each other as I painted her nails, and created this sign with her,” says DoSomething member Heather, 17. “She has arthritis in her hands, but enjoys crafting. She said that spending the time with me was ‘the highlight of [her] day.’”

Encouraging older adults to share their stories benefits their emotional, physical, and mental well-being, and the DoSomething community has safely swapped 27,412 stories with their older loved ones since the beginning of the pandemic.

“We discussed what the future might look like for us, and the next time we might be able to see each other,” says DoSomething member Melisa, 15. “I hope that the world will soon change back to how it was, so that I could go back to making life loving memories with her. She has inspired me to stay strong during these times, and I am so very grateful to have you grandma.”

Join our Senior Homies campaign to safely support older adults in your life while we continue to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

Shoutout to DoSomething member Stella… who “used [her] parents’ seltzer addiction to help the community” through our nationwide 5 Cans Challenge.

This week in DoSomething Pets… Jacqueline’s cat, Ashleigh’s dog, Sandi’s dog, and Chloe’s horse!

“We have more than earned our seat at the table”... says the #YouthInGov coalition, which is calling on the Biden administration to establish an "Office of Young Americans” and involve youth voices in government.

This week in Black joy... Black women and girls nationwide react to Vice President Kamala Harris’ inauguration.

More Amazing Impact From the DoSomething Community!

We asked you to brag about the amazing stuff you’re doing, and you did not disappoint. Here are some of our favorite answers from the DoSomething community. (Psst...submit yours here!)

“I have started dog walking in my neighborhood to raise money for charity.”

- Ishita, 15, Pennsylvania

“I'm teaching kids about bully prevention and that there are people in the world that care about them!”

- Montanna, 15, Kansas

“We walked around town handing out pizza to the homeless population in our community for two days.”

- Mel, 16, California