Check out the local and national Youth Voice resources in the sidebar, especially the great resources on Youth Activism and Youth Media.

Youth Activism

Youth Activism refers to young people engaging in community organizing and advocacy for the purpose of institutional or social change. Youth provide leadership in identifying and researching issues of concern to them, and then designing and implementing strategic actions to create positive changes in attitudes, behaviors, policies and practices. Youth have a unique power to bring about positive change based on their energy, persistence and willingness to question conventional thinking. Activism efforts can include a wide variety of endeavors, including:

* Education

* Consciousness-raising

* Campaign development

* Program development

* Advocating with legislative bodies/representatives

* Calls to action

Youth Media

Every Voice in Action Foundation believes it is vital for youth to have a public forum for sharing their experiences, perspectives, ideas and wisdom. Youth Media provides young people with a means to educate and inform, mobilize and organize, and weigh in on important issues for the purpose of social change.

Youth-run media can be a powerful Youth Activism tool, and moves young people from a position of passive consumer to active communicator. This allows youth to explore stories or issues that they see as important, and communicate their perspective to the community. Youth Media can utilize a wide variety of mediums, including:

* Mass media (radio, television, newspapers, magazines)

* The arts (performance, visual and literary arts)

* Quick message media (posters, T-shirts, billboards, legal graffiti)

* Electronic media (e-mails, listserves, blogs)

* Newsletters

* Zines