Social Justice
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Together in a collaborative partnership, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and OutVote offer a Campus Organizing Guide to the 2024 Election. This resource provides information and a step-by-step guide for college students to participate in the election as active voters. If a student is not yet registered to vote, the Campus Organizing Guide also provides information on how to do so.
In commemoration of Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, Mental Health America (MHA) sponsored the creation of the 2024 BIPOC Mental Health Toolkit.
This toolkit offers fact sheets, outreach ideas, sample newsletters, social media tools, and more to better support youth in our communities.
In commemoration of Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, Mental Health America (MHA) sponsored the creation of the 2024 BIPOC Mental Health Toolkit.
This toolkit offers fact sheets, outreach ideas, sample newsletters, social media tools, and more to better support youth in our communities.
This Changemaking Manual, created by Peace First, provides youth with a simple step-by-step guide to move through change processes within their communities. Resources also provided by Peace First include “The 3 Cs of Changemaking: Courage, Compassion, and Collaboration”, a resource that helps young leaders develop their personal self-awareness and values.
Sponsored in partnership with The Myron and Alayne Meilman Family Foundation, the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust offers 11 free lesson plans for educators to use when discussing the Holocaust, social justice, and advocacy. This museum curriculum collection also offers a guide for educators using the resource.
The development of this resource was further supported by the New York City Department of Education.
Kid Power is an interactive video platform for students in grades Kindergarten through 8th. Kid Power combines philanthropy and fun with mental health, social-emotional learning (SEL), child rights, and equity and access for all students.
We at YouthPower believe that young people are at the heart of solutions to the world’s greatest challenges. That’s why we’re dedicated to strengthening systems in communities to achieve sustainable outcomes in health, education, and political and economic empowerment. By helping young people pursue their aspirations, we empower them to contribute to, and benefit from, the creation of more peaceful and prosperous communities.
Promoting positive youth development (PYD)
YouthPower promotes a shared understanding of positive youth development (PYD) whereby young people are empowered to reach their full potential. PYD transitions away from problem-focused responses to youth crises, to proactively building skills, fostering healthy relationships, transforming systems, and making youth an active partner in development efforts.
Advancing youth development
YouthPower improves the ability of youth-led and youth-serving institutions to design, implement, and assess the programs and policies that impact young people. Using lessons from our own research and knowledge sharing, we support the scale-up of sustainable youth programs, within and across multiple sectors. We do this to equip young people to actively engage in the development of their communities.
Creating a learning network
YouthPower’s Learning Network connects youth-serving initiatives, community-based organizations, international donors, academics, and government entities engaged in improving the knowledge, skills, practices, and partnerships around positive youth development. Together we are united in our aim to support the transition of young people into healthy, productive adults.
Providing evidence, evaluation, and technical guidance
YouthPower conducts research, evaluates innovative youth programs, and disseminates information to expand the knowledge base on what does – and does not – work in youth development. By compiling and sharing resources that take an evidence-based approach, we provide practitioners and researchers with the necessary tools to continuously improve the effectiveness of youth development practices.