Youth Activism Project

The YOUTH ACTIVISM PROJECT was founded in 1992 by Wendy Schaetzel Lesko as a non-partisan organization to encourage young people to speak up and pursue lasting solutions to problems they care deeply about. This national clearinghouse strives to:

• Promote youth civic engagement— especially in the areas of school policies, city ordinances, state laws, national legislation and international issues;
• Provide free advice via email and our toll-free hotline 1-800-KID-POWER to young people to help them transform their ideas into proposals and be taken seriously by the powers-that-be;
• Train adults on how to collaborate and co-pilot successfully with young people;
• Convince community, educational and government leaders to engage young people in meaningful roles and the decision-making process;
• Share best practices and resources through our free e-newsletter, books and training manuals which highlight trends and promising practices;
• Serve as a network, connecting like-minded individuals who are tackling similar youth empowerment and public policy issues in the United States and internationally.