Do Something Awards
www.dosomething.org

The Do Something awards, formerly called the Brick Awards, honor the nation's youth who are making a difference in their communities through volunteering. Founded in 1996, Do Something recognizes young people who are changing the world by their commitment to a cause, field, or issue. Do Something award winners receive a community grant, which is given directly to a not-for-profit of the winner's choice. They also participate in a special award ceremony, receive media coverage of their community involvement, and receive continued support from Do Something. Five winners are chosen by a panel of past recipients, and each is awarded with a minimum of $10,000 in scholarships and community grants. Of those five winners, one is selected as a grand prize winner and receives a total of $100,000 in community grants.

Student Pledge Against Gun Violence
www.pledge.org

The Student Pledge Against Gun Violence is a national program that highlights the role youth can play in reducing gun violence in their communities. The Pledge gives students throughout the country the opportunity to sign a voluntary promise that they will

• Never carry a gun to school
  

• Never Resolve a dispute with a gun
  

• Use their influence with their friends to keep them from resolving disputes with guns
  

Students campaign for gun safety throughout the year and encourage their peers to commit to a life of nonviolence. The program promotes a Day of National Concern about Young People and Gun Violence each year in the fall-scheduled for October 21, 2009 this year-as a jumping off point for educating youth about the dangers of gun violence. Information and resources are readily available for teachers, counselors, and community leaders who are interested in integrating the Student Pledge curriculum into their academic programs.

Youth Justice Board,
Center for Court Innovation
http://www.courtinnovation.org

The Center for Court Innovation, a non-profit think tank founded as a partnership between the New York State Court System and the Fund for the City of New York, assists courts and criminal justice agencies in providing aid for victims, reducing crime, strengthening communities and promoting public faith and trust in the justice system. The Center operates several youth-run juvenile justice programs, one of which is the Youth Justice Board, which serves as a common ground for young people to come together and work on problems that affect their peers, families, and communities. The members of this Board research and propose possible solutions to the public safety challenges (i.e. juvenile delinquency, safety in schools, etc.) while gaining important leadership skills. The work of the Youth Justice Board helps provide credibility to young people about their effect on New York's juvenile justice policy, reminding them that they do have a voice. The Center for Court Innovation offers detailed technical assistance for agencies interested in replicating their programs.

Critical Exposure
www.criticalexposure.org

Located in Washington, D.C., Critical Exposure was formed to give students and educators a platform from which to advocate for excellence and equality in public school education. Youth become documentary photographers, capturing on the film the conditions in public schools that students are forced to deal with on a daily basis. Their photographs expose these conditions to the public and the policymakers, with hopes that they will raise awareness and advocacy for change. Through this process youth take an active role in garnering policy changes to secure a quality education for all children. Critial Exposure's website offers links to many advocacy organizations working in the education field. They are in the process of identifying additional locations across the country-including schools in urban, suburban, and rural communities-in which to expand the project.

Global Youth Service Day
www.gysd.org

Global Youth Service Day, organized by Youth Service America, is the largest service event in the world with millions of youth participating every year. The goals of Global Youth Service Day are to

• Mobilize youth to identify and address the needs of their community through service
  
  
• Support Youth on a life-long path of service and civic engagement
  
  
• Educate the public, the media, and policymakers about the year-round contributions of young people as community leaders

Founded in 2000, this even has expanded across the United States to include 160 national partners and international committee members. On the annual service day held each April, youth in communities around the world organize projects to address local needs. These projects typically span a wide range of issues including the environment, literacy, nutrition, and poverty.

Youth Service America (www.ysa.org) also awards mini-grants for youth-led projects, undertaken in conjunction with Global Youth Service Day. The Youth Rising Award is given out through a partnership with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and honors volunteers who engage in service projects benefiting their communities. Winners receive up to $1,000 to build leadership skills and sustain local neighborhoods.

Let a Thousand Voices Speak: A Guide to Youth Radio Programs in the United States
http://www.nfcb.org/projects/nyrtp/youthmanual/youthmanual.jsp

This manual is designed to share information about youth radio projects where young people are learning to write commentaries, report the news, broadcast symphonies, produce radio dramas, host talk shows, stream audio, operate remote equipment and run radio stations. It is provided so that community radio stations, high schools, non-profit arts organizations and community groups can start and grow their own youth in radio programs. It gives case studies of youth radio programs in Berkeley, CA; Chicago, IL; El Paso, TX; Portland, ME; New York, NY; Anchorage, AK; and Boston, MA; and includes training curricula and resources to start a youth radio program.

The training manual is produced by the National Youth in Radio Training Project by the Youth Initiatives Program of the Open Society Institute.

Youth Build
www.youthbuild.rog

YouthBuild is a development program that focuses on common issues facing low-income communities:  housing, education, employment, crime prevention, and leadership development.  YouthBuild programs are targeted towards young people ages 16–24 that may have had experiences with homelessness, foster care, juvenile justice, or welfare.  Participants work toward attaining their GED or high school diploma while learning job skills by building affordable housing in their communities.

Flint Photovoice
Flint Photovoice, a community action project representing the work of 41 youth and adults in Flint, Michigan, recruited its first team in 1998 to document widespread concerns in the Flint community relating to work and health.  Using a participatory research method, youth and adults were provided with cameras so that they could photograph the everyday realities of life.  After the photographs were taken, the team engaged in group discussion about what their photographs meant and took their concerns to policy makers, working to establish policies on issues such as green spaces and violence prevention and increase funding for Flint-area community programs.  Although the project ended in the fall of 2006, inspirational photos and essays developed through the project have been displayed in several exhibitions, and were also compiled in a book, Strength To Be: Community Vision and Voices. 

Lombard Writers Project
The Lombard Writers Project began in East Baltimore, Maryland through an alliance between the Johns Hopkins University Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence, Lombard Middle School, the Baltimore City Public School System, the Urban Leadership Institute, and Charm City Solutions.  Twenty-two students from the middle school wanted to track the events of their daily lives and communities, and they began recording their narratives in a diary.  The collection of amassed stories became part of a book entitled “Growing Up In A Notorious World: Violence, Anger and Confusion Among Youngsters in Baltimore City”, which was published by the Lombard Writers Project.  In April 2004 an online news and opinion magazine was launched as another way of providing youth with a voice to speak up about how they were finding alternatives to dealing with violence in their communities. The Lombard Writers Project has since ended.

Other Links:

Say Y.E.S. To Youth: Youth Engagement Strategies website

Powered by Service provides grant funding website