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Letters to America

Youth250

Letters to America

Youth250

The next generation is
taking the mic.

For America's 250th anniversary, we're inviting young people to put their own declaration forward by creating Letters to America.

Through written essays, short videos, speeches, and art pieces, young people put the American story in their own words. Select submissions will be shared by media partners, museums, and civic organizations for National Youth Takeover Day on June 27, 2026.

Explore Letters

The next generation is
taking the mic.

For America's 250th anniversary, we're inviting young people to put their own declaration forward by creating Letters to America.

Through written essays, short videos, speeches, and art pieces, young people put the American story in their own words. Select submissions will be shared by media partners, museums, and civic organizations for National Youth Takeover Day on June 27, 2026.

Explore Letters

The next generation is
taking the mic.

For America's 250th anniversary, we're inviting young people to put their own declaration forward by creating Letters to America.

Through written essays, short videos, speeches, and art pieces, young people put the American story in their own words. Select submissions will be shared by media partners, museums, and civic organizations for National Youth Takeover Day on June 27, 2026.

Explore Letters

Where to Share your Letter to America


Ways to Share your Letter to America

Submit

Add your words, link, image or video to the multimedia Letters to America collection below by clicking "+Post."

Events

Discover locations for a Wish Wall near you, National Youth Takeover Day events and the traveling Youth250 Declaration.

Pitch

Use our tip sheet to send your letter to local and national media, newsletters, school and community publications and more.

Partner

Ask an organization near you to lend their platform to your voice for National Youth Takeover Day on June 27. Here's our tip sheet.

WANT MORE SUPPORT? Join the content corps

Get help creating or publishing your letter. The Youth250 Content Corps is a volunteer community of people ages 14 to 30, writing, speaking, and creating content that tells the story of our generation. Join our Slack to get coaching, resources, opportunities and connection.

Sign Up

For Organizations

Can we participate in Letters to America or Youth Takeover Day?

We haven’t thought of doing anything for America’s 250th, why should we?

How can we get the traveling Youth250 Declaration?

How can we host a Wish Walll?

I wouldn’t call myself patriotic, is this program for me?

Featured Letters Collections

Made with Padlet

News

Our press kit is available here. For media and press inquiries, email y250press@teamdsb.com.

🔗 Press Release: Gen Z Leaders Gather at National Constitution Center to Mark America’s 250th With Declaration

🔗 Press Release: 100 Young Americans Selected for National Youth250 Bureau

Associated Press

Can philanthropy win back Gen Z's trust in institutions?

Teen Vogue

Next Year, America Turns 250. These Gen Zers Want to Make It a Turning Point

Scripps College

Jon’Nae Sylvester ’24 Joins Youth250 Bureau as a Voice for Gen Z

Power of Young People Podcast

The Youth250 Bureau: Shaping Democracy Through Youth Empowerment

About Us

About Us

Youth250 is the national effort to increase youth representation, visibility and input in the United States 250th anniversary, commemorated in 2026. Today’s teens and young adults are the future inheritors of our democracy, and are an important constituency to be included in and inspired by the events of this commemoration, the starting line for America’s next 250 years.

Made By Us – the organization that leads Youth250 – also created the mass-activation Civic Season, an annual tradition held between Juneteenth and July 4th.

We know you probably haven’t heard much about the US turning 250 years old in 2026. But this milestone is not just about fireworks and founding fathers.

It’s a chance to ask: Who gets to shape the story of America? And what do we want the next chapter to look like?

Youth250 is how we make it count. It’s a national movement to put your voice, vision, and values at the center.

We know you probably haven’t heard much about the US turning 250 years old in 2026. But this milestone is not just about fireworks and founding fathers.

It’s a chance to ask: Who gets to shape the story of America? And what do we want the next chapter to look like? Youth250 is how we make it count. It’s a national movement to put your voice, vision, and values at the center.

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Made By Us © 2025

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SUPPORT US
Sign up for our newsletter

Made By Us © 2025