Resources for Young Advocates:
Bridge Building
We are here to help you expand your network and get your foot in the door when it comes to advocacy. Whether you are looking to join an organization that focuses on an issue you are passionate about or need help connecting with an elected official, we are here to support you.
Opportunity Promotion
We work with our network of partners to promote opportunities for young people to grow and expand their advocacy. Follow us on social media and sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date with opportunities for young advocates.
Young Advocate Training
We offer a young advocate training to organizations, youth groups and classes. This one hour presentation goes over what advocacy means and how to be a strong advocate. Contact us today to set up a time for your group to receive a training!
Path to Advocacy
Finding an Issue:
Choosing an issue is very much about passion and finding something that you care about. Whether it is something that you learned in school, something that scares you, or something that creates a challenge in your life, if you are willing to work to a solution you can be an advocate for that issue!
Deciding Who to Contact:
Deciding who to contact can be challenging depending on the issue. Many things span multiple levels of government and a number of different organizations. We recommend starting with local elected officials as they are often the most responsive and can help you find the next person to contact. When in doubt, you can also reach out to us and we are happy to help you determine where to go with your identified issue.
Finding Their Contact Information:
Find your elected officials and their contact information by going to USA.gov/elected-officials and entering your street address.
Making a Plan of Contact:
Choose whether sending an email or making a phone call is going to work better for you. You may want to jot down a couple of bullet points or draft your email in a word doc before sharing it.
Setting the Stage:
When you are reaching out, it is important to be professional. Introduce yourself and your general location (high school, city, state, etc) so that they know where you are from. Then start to talk about your reason for contacting them and what issue you are passionate about.
Telling Your Story:
While we as young advocates may not an extensive education or professional history, our experiences as young people in this day in age make us unique. Think about what has impacted you in a way that no one else would know and tell that story. Share the emotions that you have felt.
Establishing Next Steps:
Good advocates do more than just highlight issues, they work towards a solution. Provide a potential solution if you have thought of one or offer to talk to discuss potential ideas. Don’t forget to offer your contact information so that they can reach out if they have any follow up questions.
Make an Impact:
The complexity of issues varies greatly and some can be solved simply by reaching out to your elected officials while others can require weeks, months, or even years to see a change but know that by sharing your voice and speaking up, you are making an impact!