Advocacy & Policy
- Advocacy/Policy (31)
- After School Administration (14)
- California Standards (39)
- Child Advocacy (39)
- Common Core (32)
- Education Rights and Reform (18)
- Juvenile Justice and Reform (22)
- National Standards (13)
- Youth Justice and Reform (20)
This resource provided by the ACLU gives guidance to knowing your rights when questioned by law enforcement agencies and authorities. A copy of “My Rights Card” is available in this resource for use if needed. This resource is prepared in English.
This resource provided by the ACLU gives guidance to knowing your rights when questioned by law enforcement agencies and authorities. A copy of “My Rights Card” is available in this resource for use if needed. This resource is prepared in Spanish.
In celebration and honor of Native Heritage Month, the National Educational Association (NEA) offers year-round resources to share the narrative of Indigenous People groups.
Resources include lesson plan units for children grades Kindergarten through 12 that focus on history, accurate representation, Thanksgiving lesson plans from the Native American perspective, background resources, printables/posters, videos, and recommended readings. The curated collection is in partnership with organizations centered in social justice and advocacy.
NEA Note: “Educators should be mindful of cultural appropriation when teaching about other cultures and understand that Native American students in class may experience lessons differently than non-Native students.”
A Native woman-led racial and social justice organization, IllumiNative has created free resources (in partnership with the National Indian Education Association and Amplifier) that increase the visibility of and challenge the negative narratives of Indigenous peoples.
Resources available include youth and adult publications centered in advocacy, awareness, and research. Lesson plans include remote learning opportunities that explore the work of Indigenous leaders and changemakers in digital tool formats for grades PreKindergarten through 8th grades.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) engages audiences in a community education program, Learning for Justice. This resource provides educators with free resources to encourage youth civic participation as well as to learn honest history, promote servant leadership, and move toward a racially and socially just society.
This collection of resources has been curated by SPLC to offer lessons for elementary and middle school classrooms that focus on elections and voting.
Generation Citizen has created a resource designed to inform, support, and empower youth voices in the act of civic engagement and voter registration. Specific state-by-state information is also provided for the following locations: California; Kentucky; New York; Massachusetts; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; Oklahoma; Texas; and Washington. A mini-lesson plan on voter registration is included.
Created in August of 2016 by CEO Aliyah Griffith, Mahogany Mermaids promotes awareness and advocacy that create opportunities for children and youth of color to explore and join the aquatic sciences.
A primary goal of Mahogany Mermaids is to connect, impact, and outreach to as many students and youth as possible. To achieve this, they have offered education tools via their website to build ocean awareness and conservation efforts for students 4th – 12th grade. Their resource page also offers uniquely created activities connected to national aquariums as well as links to outside resources.
In response to questions and concerns surrounding California youth activity and play, LA84 commissioned research to address these conversations. One of its kind, the 2024 California Play Equity Report offers insight to access gaps and barriers that communities and youth face. Visit 2024report.la84.org for more information.
A healthy democracy requires active participation and prepares its people to self-govern by providing a practical understanding of how the government works, how power is leveraged and the skills to exercise their rights and represent their interests.
Rock the Vote’s Democracy Class is a free, nonpartisan curriculum that educates high school students about the importance and history of voting and pre-registers and registers them to vote.
Election season presents an important opportunity to put afterschool on the radar of policy makers and the public in a visible and meaningful way.
The resources in this toolkit will help you spark conversations about afterschool with candidates for office in your local community or state. Included are talking points, sample materials, and information on how your non-profit organization can participate in the electoral process.
Kids Voting USA (KVUSA) is a national nonprofit organization working to secure the future of democracy by preparing young people to be educated, engaged voters.
Kids Voting USA Classroom Activities: 9-12 is designed to facilitate secondary school teachers in addressing civic learning objectives, especially those that relate to voting and elections. The resource is comprised of engaging activities that foster group discussion and the use of critical thinking skills.
The goals of Kids Voting USA classroom activities are for students to:
✔ Cultivate information-gathering and decision-making skills
✔ Develop higher-order thinking skills
✔ Develop empathy towards others
✔ Gain a knowledge and appreciation of suffrage, democracy, citizenship, and elections
✔ Understand and participate in the direct voting process
From iCivics Election Headquarters: The best way to strengthen our democracy is to teach it. Presidential elections provide one of the most visible teachable moments for civic education.
By discussing the election, the processes surrounding it, and the role of the people, we have the opportunity to build young people’s confidence in our country.
With free election-focused games and nonpartisan teaching resources specific to high school, middle school, and elementary students, you can help young people understand the power of their voice and vote, learn about state, local, and federal election processes, and become informed and engaged participants.