These stories reveal that young people can be very influential with their peers, younger peers, parents, the press, the private sector, politicians and other policymakers. Some of these examples are ongoing campaigns; others occurred in the past.
ALCOHOL & DRUGS
♦ Students continue to lobby their Members of Congress to pass legislation to repeal a provision in the Higher Education Act that prohibits people convicted of drug offenses from receiving student aid loans for college.
♦ Seventh graders in Dallas, Texas documented the number of liquor stores in their neighborhood, especially near schools. They traveled to the state legislature to present their findings. Senator West, a strong supporter, declared "The children motivated me. I'm going to do all I can to help get the bill passed." The state law was changed to allow the local zoning board to reduce the number of alcohol outlets.
♦ A student in Pojoaque, New Mexico didn't like beer billboards near her school. She contacted the state Office of Vital Statistics and other agencies to find out how many deaths in her county were alcohol-related, what percentage of those deaths involved underage drivers, and how much the town was spending on drug education. Then she argued that the $11,000 spent for drug prevention was a waste and convinced the town to ban alcohol billboards near schools.
♦ High school students elected by their peers to represent youth in New Haven, Connecticut serve on the Board of Young Adult Police Commissioners. These students succeeded at lobbying the powers-that-be to increase the number of treatment beds for adolescent alcohol and drug abusers.
♦ Teenagers charged with nonviolent alcohol and drug offenses often are tried and sentenced by their own peers who serve as the lawyers and jurors in teen courts. Teen courts, including one of the oldest in Broward County, Florida are known to be an effective system for first-time juvenile offenders.
♦ Valerie Edwards survived a car crash but her friend didn't. This sixth grader together with classmates and parents lobbied the Maryland legislature and succeeded in closing a loophole in the state law. Now police are required to administer a drug and alcohol test to the driver at the site of a life-threatening car crash.
ANIMALS & THE ENVIRONMENT
♦ Laurie Wolff was upset that her 8th grade classmates who refused to do animal dissection were getting failing grades. She collected signatures on a petition and then testified before the Las Vegas School Board, urging that students be given the option to do virtual dissections with the use of a CD-ROM. One of the largest school districts in the country responded to this 12-year-old student's call and adopted this policy.
♦ Pelican Island Elementary School students in Florida made dozens of presentations to the School Board, the Indian River County Commission, their U.S. Representative, and the Secretary of the U.S. Interior Department to protect the habitat of the scrub jay, an endangered species. Ultimately, the Eco-Troop received a matching grant of more than $200,000 from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to purchase undeveloped lots from private landowners for this wildlife sanctuary.
♦ Students at West Branch Middle School in Iowa save the school nearly $250 a month on electricity by using energy-saving T8 light bulbs. Their effort to cut electrical usage in all schools was initially met with resistance by the local school board. The student proposal called for a low-interest loan to pay for more efficient bulbs and changing the light sockets. After four months of persistent lobbying by students, the cautious school board members approved the plan.
♦ The Beachwood High School Ecology Club's investigation of the curbside recycling programs concluded that none of the 4,872 tons of residential trash in their Cleveland suburb was actually recycled. The findings were first disclosed in the school newspaper by Stephanie Bleyer, 16, who wrote, "Ladies and gentlemen of the city government, in the future when you sign an ambiguous contract [with Global Waste, Inc.] and advertise false city programs, give the whole true story or else student journalists like myself will." This evidence caused the mayor and others responsible to overhaul the city's solid waste reduction program.
♦ A 12-year-old boy single handedly convinced city hall to stop a real estate developer from destroying a wildlife habitat. This nature lover's in-depth research about groundwater contamination, his successful petition drive, and his amazing persistence made the difference. Now an $11 million condominium complex stands on an abandoned drive-in theater lot instead in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.
BIKES, CARS & TRAFFIC
♦ A high school junior in Olympia, Washington was on a car trip with her sister and thought: "If you're 16 and you're driving, you are taking on the risk of a car crash. So why can't you be an organ donor?" She found out that organ donors must be at least 18 years old and proposed amending the law to allow anyone over 15 to have an organ donor designation on their driver's license, provided they have the consent of their parent or guardian. The Governor heard about her idea, held a press conference with this young activist, and as a result, the law was amended to increase the number of people who can be potential organ donors.
♦ High school senior Erik Oleson of Fairfax, Virginia created such a powerful 30-second public service announcement that the U.S. Dept. Of Transportation distributed it to TV stations across the country during Child Passenger Safety Week. The inspiration for Erik's script came from an image he had tucked away in his mind while driving on an interstate. There, he saw a toddler sitting in the front seat of a car, without the protection of a car safety seat. Click here to order this PSA video from Youth Activism Project.
♦ Elementary school students in Colorado launched a campaign for new sidewalks. First, they met with the city planner, surveyed business and property owners, recorded traffic patterns, researched the cost of sidewalk construction. They presented their photos, statistics, surveys and petitions to the City Council. The kids' demands were heeded.
♦ High school students in California were on the winning side of an effort to pass a law to lower the legal blood alcohol limit. They held a rally and news conference about this drunk driving legislation, produced a 30-second public service announcement, and participated in a statewide letter-writing blitz to state legislators. Click here order this PSA video from Youth Activism Project.
♦ The Hampton Youth Commission in Virginia, comprised of 20 individuals between 14 to 18 years of age voted to recommend that bicyclists should be allowed to ride on sidewalks. The City Council approved the youth proposal serious consideration and amended the local ordinance.
DISCRIMINATION & RACISM
♦ Seventeen-year-old Susan Sparrow of Salt Lake City mobilized a group of 20 peers at her high school to lobby state legislators expressing outrage that women in Utah earn only 66 cents for every dollar a man makes. On one of many visits to the Statehouse during their three-month campaign, they passed out cookies, some large and others 34% smaller, with messages such as "Aren't we worth it? Vote yes on HB 81." The result was passage of a new law called the Compensation Pay Study that will collect payment data by gender -- an important step in addressing pay inequity.
♦ Compelling testimony by young people based on their personal experiences of discrimination convinced wary Massachusetts legislators to pass a landmark Gay and Lesbian Student Rights Law. Students, with the support of the Lieutenant Governor, spoke at hearings, met with individual lawmakers, organized a massive letter-writing campaign, and held rallies and candlelight vigils that raised public support for a law that aims to "provide all students with a safe and supportive public education."
♦ More than 10,000 students in Los Angeles walked out of classes in 1994 to demonstrate against a California referendum barring illegal immigrants from attending schools and receiving other public services. Leonardo Hernandez, 16, who was among the Montabello High School demonstrators said, "Maybe if they see us, people will realize that this is what will happen if the proposition passes because we will all be in the streets instead of school."
♦ High school students in Arizona were outraged that their state voted to make Martin Luther King's birthday a non-holiday. The so-called Scottsdale Six came up with the idea that there should be a bronze plaque at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. where Rev. King delivered his "I Have A Dream" speech in 1963. They launched a fundraising effort called "Pennies for a Monumental Difference." The students pestered the National Park Service, presented numerous plans, and eventually became members of the design team for the mini-museum now in the basement of the monument below the familiar statue of Lincoln that commemorates Dr. King and other civil rights leaders. (A referendum passed in 1992 making Dr. King's birthday a legal holiday in Arizona.)
♦ The Native American Club of West Seattle High felt the name and mascot of its sports team were offensive. Partnering with the Seattle Young People's Project (SYPP), they held a news conference, published a letter in the daily newspaper, and conducted a rally. Ultimately, the Board of Education changed the policy and school teams along with their mascots no longer can be named in a racially insensitive way. (The school alum group actually sued to overturn the Board's decision and lost.) www.sypp.org
♦ The Multnomah Youth Commission in Portland analyzed the coverage of youth in the region's largest daily newspaper, The Oregonian and found that few articles about youth were printed and those articles that were printed were about crime or sports. The MYC began working with newspaper staff to improve youth coverage and suggested the paper hire a youth beat reporter to specifically cover youth issues and create a weekly feature on youth. Both recommendations were adopted and "The Zone" was created as a weekly feature. http://www.ourcommission.org/myc
EDUCATION & SCHOOLS
♦ Chronic lack of funding for urban schools is another fact of life yet speeches and statistics typically fail to get the attention of the powers-that-be. Students attending different Baltimore public schools took over 1,000 photographs documenting the conditions. Fifty of the pictures were selected for exhibits held in the city and at the Maryland General Assembly. Legislators decided on a $100 million increase for school facilities and due in part to this very visual advocacy campaign coordinated by Critical Exposure. Check out www.criticalexposure.org
♦ Melissa Robbins began taking American Sign Language classes when she was about 8 years old. She wanted to study ASL in high school but she would not have received the necessary foreign language credit to graduate. School officials told her the only way to change the rule was if the University of Maryland recognized ASL as a language. Robbins wrote to the university chancellor and state lawmakers, arguing that ASL was a legitimate foreign language with its own culture, customs, grammar and syntax. Even after she graduated from high school, she continued to push for this change. In the fall of 2001, the Board of Regents at the University agreed and by December, the Montgomery County Public School Board pledged to develop an advanced ASL course.
♦ A group of students at King City High School in California wanted the vending machines to offer other snacks besides chips and candy bars. The group collaborated with the Vice Principal and the snack company to find low-fat foods that could be sold in the machines. The group did a taste-test on campus so the entire student body could vote on which snacks they preferred. As a result, vending machines at this school now are filled with pretzels, low-fat cereal bars and other healthier snacks.
♦ Definitely check out these two sites for more stories and resources: www.soundout.org www.whatkidscando.org
HEALTH, STRESS, ETC.
♦ As part of a classroom assignment to learn about AIDS, several high school students at the Real School in Windham, Maine visited community health centers and became acquainted with people living with HIV. With full permission, the students created a photography exhibit of a diverse group of children, women and men infected with the virus. The exhibit traveled to schools throughout the state. Then the students created a poster using all the black and white photos with one blank space along with the message: "If You Don't Think You Need HIV Education, We've Saved A Place for You!" This project continued to evolve and the students produced a 30-second public service announcement that was broadcast on Fox and several other cable stations.
♦ Youth Making A Change surveyed students and found depression was a widespread problem. YMAC calculated that it would cost $109/pupil per year to provide a qualified mental health counselor in every high school. At first YMAC was not successful in convincing the San Francisco Board of Supervisors but they persisted and ultimately succeeded. Check out www.colemanadvocates.org
♦ Allie Young of Pinellas County in Florida recognized the need for more education and visibility to eating disorders because of her own battle with the disease. She formed Helping Hands, a support group at her school for teenagers coping with anorexia nervosa. Her advocacy efforts include a campaign to raise awareness of the need for every county in the state to provide comprehensive services and treatment geared for those suffering from this life-threatening disease, especially those unable to pay for expensive hospitalization.
♦ Seventeen-year-old runaway Janna Koschene of Colorado, presented a vivid account of sleeping in cars and overnight shelters at hearings conducted by a congressional committee. She gave detailed recommendations based on her own positive experiences at a daytime drop-in center in Denver. At a time of budget cuts, Congress voted a modest increase for federal funds earmarked for crisis shelters and other community-based youth centers.
♦ The Provo High School Self-Esteem Club in Utah pursued the idea of a Clean Indoor Air law and mobilized students across the state from 22 other high schools. Over 2,000 youth came to the rally at the State Capitol and the TV cameras rolled, broadcasting handmade banners including "I Want Fresh Air." One group of students painted their faces white to symbolize those who have died from secondhand smoke. Students' face-to-face meetings with state legislators in addition to writing letters overwhelmed the opposition by restaurants and the tourism industry that had successfully defeated similar bills during the previous three years. The law passed.
RECREATION & YOUTH SERVICES
♦ Seven of 15 branches of the Oakland Public Library were slated to be closed because of citywide budget cutbacks in California. The Library's Youth Leadership Council protests along with a youth rally organized by Environmental Studies High School students had an impact: no branch closings or no reduced hours but nearly a dozen staff positions were eliminated.
♦ In Hopkins, Missouri (population 600), a high school sophomore wanted to turn an abandoned theater into a teen center. After recruiting some friends, they made a presentation to Community 2000 and wrote a short article in their weekly newspaper. Bingo! As a result of this publicity, the students received an anonymous donation of $40,000. Take a look at The Roxy at http://www.msc.net/cory.stahl/Roxy.
♦ In Leesburg, Virginia, several 14 and 15-year-olds were angry that in-line skaters and skateboarders were banned from using sidewalks, parking lots and just about every other stretch of pavement. The boys voiced their complaint to their Town Council, asking for some place to skate. Three of the teenagers were selected to serve on a parks committee and collaborated with architects and others to design a skating facility.
♦ Sisters In Action For Power conducted surveys and made a case to TriMet, the mass transit system in Portland, Oregon, to give free bus rides to and from school to low-income students. This group also helped spur TriMet to establish a Citizens Advisory Committee of Transportation Equity.
♦ Since 1996, young people together with representatives of the YMCA, school district, medical clinic and other community organizations have been designing a $5 million youth center with a computer lab, performing arts space, a youth-run food service business, career planning, medical and mental health services, and a 10-bed shelter for homeless youth. For more info, www.mosaicyouthcenter.com
VIOLENCE
♦ "Why can a kid get a gun in a few hours, but have to take a bus outside the neighborhood to buy school supplies?" This powerful sound bite by a member of Teens On Target www.youthalive.org convinced the Oakland, California City Council's vote to approve a series of gun control ordinances including a requirement that buyers obtain trigger locks. More recently, this student group persuaded the Oakland Tribune to stop running ads for guns in their newspapers.
♦ The San Francisco Youth Commission consists of 17 members between the ages of 12 and 23 who review any legislation pertaining to young people. The SF Board of Supervisors was ready to give green light on Governor Davis's plan for a new juvenile bootcamp without hearings or debate. Several Youth Commissioners compiled information including the recommendation by the bipartisan California Legislative Analyst that urged the Legislature to deny the $9.2 million request. The youth impact: the Board did not approve the Governor's proposal.
♦ People United for a Better Oakland (PUEBLO) analyzed school suspension rates in Oakland United School District and found that less than 3% were for violent offenses. They succeeded in changing the policy so that all suspension notices are written in the native tongue of the family and there must be pre-suspension documentation.
♦ A conflict resolution mediator, Kendell Kelly, urges her peers to tell decision-makers what's really happening at school: "Speak at the formal meeting of the School Board. Get it out in the open. Most important, be specific about what needs to be changed." She persuaded the Superintendent and School Board to replace her principal and agree to other student proposals to reduce the escalating school violence after a classmate was killed on campus.
♦ The Youth Uprising Coalition played an active role in defeating a proposed night-time curfew in San Francisco. Their petitions and marches protested criminalizing young people. Instead the group called for a positive approach that included a roller skating facility and other community programs as well as job opportunities for youth.
VOTING
♦ The Cambridge City Council in Massachusetts passed legislation lowering the voting age to 17 by a vote of 8-1 in March 2002. The year before, a proposal by the student-led Campaign for a Democratic Future (suffrage@mac.com) that would have given 16-year-olds the right to vote in municipal elections was defeated. One opponent on the City Council was persuaded because "This group stayed with it" and another council or changed her mind: "Your energy, persistence, and commitment are truly inspiring." This suffrage battle continues now at the state legislature because Massachusetts, like many other states, must approve a home rule petition.
♦ Other efforts to allow people under age 18 to vote continue around the country from New York City to Berkeley. For updates contact the National Youth Rights Association www.youthrights.org
