Winner of more than 20 MDDC Press Association Awards for 2025
AUGUST 2026 HEALTH, WELLNESS & NUTRITION SUPPLEMENT
Start Young, Finish Strong: Choosing Self Care for Long-Term Well-Being TITLE SPONSOR
Serving Our Community in the DMV
Vol 61 No 44
Awaiting Pick Up: Examining the Usage of Detention Centers for Curfew
A Lifeline Within Reach
By Jada Ingleton WI Content Editor
With the juvenile curfew in effect, local leaders, parents and teens alike are not only concerned about young people being out past 11 p.m. They’re worried where youth violators could end up once found on the street after hours: the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS). Under the emergency order, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) would either return individuals under the age of 18 to their homes or hold them within a precinct or facility run by DYRS until a guardian can pick them up. “For my peers,” said Ward 8 teen Atrayu Lee, “I think instead of them understanding that certain things don't have to be a way, they just go along, go outside and get harassed by the police.” The system of utilizing DYRS became a point of conflict for the D.C. Council to permanently pass the Juvenile Curfew Amendment Act of 2025 that went 5 The permanent curfew measure, now in effect, restricts youth from
traveling in busy areas starting at 8 p.m. (Tatiana Allen/The Washington
CURFEW Page 27 Informer)
D.C.’s Youth Entrepreneurship Program Gives Startup Boost to D.C.-Area Students
By William Deffaa WI Intern
DCYEP Page 11
August Health Supplement Center Section
New Bill Brings Mental Health Support Closer to Students
By Tatiana Allen WI Intern
Two young Washingtonians are ready to take their businesses to the next level after concluding the D.C. Youth Entrepreneurship Program (DCYEP) intensive summer program, participating in the Aug. 4 competition at The Gathering Spot D.C., and winning the grand prize of $2,500 to fund their startups. While winners Zaynah Craw-
August 13 - 19, 2026
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With mental health advocacy rising and declining suicide rates to match, a bill that promises to save lives at students’ fingertips is taking shape in a nationwide campaign for youth wellness. The Campus Lifeline Act was introduced to Congress on May 4 as a measurable response to the second-leading cause of death for people ages 15 to 34, tackling suicide with a two-prong approach as cost-efficient as it is youth-led.
Authored by Active Minds, the nation’s largest nonprofit mobilizing youth to transform mental health norms, the bill aims to reimagine a system where psychiatric and emotional resilience is the standard for all, and the hope is to turn ideation into law as soon as next year. “It sets a precedent to have mental health be a normalized conversation in schools, whether it be college campuses or K-12,” said Rohan Satija, a youth mental health activist and supporter of the legislation. “We've built a mental health system
MENTAL HEALTH Page 27
District Youth Continue to Grow through the Game of Chess DC State Chess Federation, HoodSmart Provides Opportunity for Chess Phenom
By Sam Plo Kwia Collins, Jr. WI Senior Staff Writer Nearly two years ago, the US Chess Federation revoked the affiliate status of the DC State Chess Federation, despite what students and community members have described as the organi-
zation’s decades-long record of service to District youth of color. The DC State Chess Federation has since operated outside the auspices of the national chess competition governing body, continuing its mission to embolden young people like Andrea
EDUCATION Page 17
4 D.C. student Khepra Freeman credits Vaughn Bennett with his improvement in the game of chess and his exposure to opportunities to conduct tournaments. (Courtesy Photo) 5 Contestants take the stage with Rosemary Suggs-Evans, director of the Department of Small and Local Business Development. (William Deffaa/The Washington Informer)
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
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