Colonial Youth Relief Agency

"It goes without saying that children are our future as both a functioning society and a species. And that future is under attack. Rampant colonial poverty, criminal activity, anti-government violence, and of course the ravages of the Covenant have taken an unspeakable toll on the youth who will go on to be the leaders of tomorrow. Humanity's future is too important to be left to the colonies. It is CYRA's mandate to provide care and guidance these children have been deprived of——and that they so desperately need."

- Angela Cyrak, head of the Colonial Youth Relief Agency, in an address to the Unified Earth Government Senate

"Everyone with half a brain knows that CYRA is just a recruitment pipeline for the military. It's not enough for Earth to take away our goods and our autonomy. No, it has to sink its claws into our children as well. Take the kids, teach 'em to be ashamed of where they come from, fill their heads with a bunch of stinking oonskie propaganda, and then send them off to die fighting the Covenant or even their own people. What's tens of thousands more dead colonials to them, right? They piss away our future and then have the nerve to say it's in everyone's best interest."

- Ouram Achebe, colonial agitator

The Colonial Youth Relief Agency is a organization dedicated to addressing issues of colonial youth education and caregiving throughout UEG space, particularly in the. Formed in response to the rising number of orphans and at-risk youth brought on by the violence of the and, CYRA's purpose was to provide structured oversight to colonial education and youth rehabilitation programs. Although CYRA representatives contributed to a wide range of elements, from public education to community organization, the agency was best known for removing control of public orphanages from colonial governments and placing them under the direct jurisdiction of the UEG. This shift in oversight revitalized the colonial child welfare system by giving it access to UEG funding. However, as the Human-Covenant War progressed and humanity's situation became more dire CYRA fell further and further under military jurisdiction and many of the older wards of the state were targeted for recruitment into the military.