$1,000 Awards for youth solutions!
Download the Guide
- Download the 2001 Youth Guide (PDF format - 532kb)
In this guide
- Take on the issues of youth violence and education.
- Create solutions that will improve your community and school.
$1,000 Youth in Action Awards are offered for the top youth initiated projects nationwide.
Awards are offered through the National Youth Action Council and the Foundation of America: Youth in Action - a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing recognition and financial support for the voices, ideas and solutions of youth.
History and Background
To ensure the issues and solutions of youth were being heard and addressed by our nation's leaders, Youth in Action launched two nonpartisan (no political affiliation) National Youth Conventions in 1996.
Prior to the Conventions, the ideas, issues and solutions of youth were collected from surveys throughout the country and via the youthlink.org web site.
Collected youth responses were shaped by youth delegates attending the Youth Conventions into a first-ever National Youth Platform. The Youth Platform was shared by the delegates with mayors, governors, senators and presidential candidates. Through support provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts, Carnegie Corporation of New York and Higher Ground for Humanity (the singer Jewel's organization), the Youth Conventions and Platform process took place again in Philadelphia and Los Angeles in August 2000. Using data collected for youth across America, youth delegates presented their top 10 issues to presidential candidates Ralph Nader and John Hagelin. These issues included education, violence, juvenile justice, drugs, political involvement, community involvement, health, human rights, poverty and the environment.
Media coverage from CNN, NBC nightly news, MTV and others has helped to create a focus on the concerns, voices and solutions of America's youth. Presidential candidate Ralph Nader called the Youth Conventions "the most pre-eminent and deliberative gathering of youth in politics in America today."
The Youth Action guide builds from the success of the Youth Conventions by encouraging young people to take action on the issues they feel are most important in their communities. Youth who take action and create a project to improve their school, community and our nation are immediately eligible for a $1,000 Youth in Action Award. The Awards are given out by the National Youth Action Council, a team of up to 15 youth leaders (ages 16 to 24) from schools and organizations across America. The Council sets criteria and reviews all youth-initiated and youth-led community improvement project applications to determine the $1,000 Award recipients.
To apply for an award, youth project leaders must submit the included Youth in Action Award application by March 31st, 2002. Top Award winners will be notified by the Council in April 2002 and may be invited to a special Youth in Action Awards ceremony in Washington D.C.
Youth Action Guidelines
Set the context
Describe or review the history of the National Youth Conventions and National Youth Platform. (Additional research can be done by accessing the youthlink.org/us web site to review the past Youth Platforms, what youth are saying, and the history and background of this work. This can also be done as part of a homework assignment for a follow-up discussion) You may want to ask "do you think that young people are being heard in America today? Should young people have their own conventions? Is anyone interested in being a national delegate at the Youth Conventions in 2004?"
Building consensus
Discuss the top issues and concerns of your youth group. Have each young person write down their top three issues and concerns. (Collect individual responses for national submission after consensus process)
Add your voice!
Please let young people know that their issues and ideas can be submitted to help create the next National Youth Platform (please see -- Speak Out! on the www.youthlink.org/us web site)
Break the group into a small workgroups of four to five individuals. Using the fist-to-five consensus processs (within the action guide) have them combine their issues and ideas. Allow approximately 5 to 10 minutes for discussion/consensus.
Ask each group to select and write down (using 5 X 7 cards) the top three concerns/issues of their group.
Have a volunteer take the cards or write down each group's issues on a wall or blackboard, group similar cards or, if using a blackboard, put tally marks next to duplicate responses.
Compare local in national youth issues
Compare your results with the top 10 issues from the National Youth Platform. How are they similar? Different? How do their overall issues relate to this guide's focus on youth violence and education?
Focus on youth solutions for violence and education
Facilitate a discussion about possible solutions for reducing/eliminating youth violence and improving education and your school (Please Note: Future Action Guides will focus on other youth issues. This year's Guide focuses on Violence and Education)
Discuss what young people can do individually or as a team to implement their solution ideas. Identify solutions which participants believe they can implement in their school or community.
Plan a project(s) to carry out suggested solutions (this can also be done as homework). Project discussions should include target goals, creating a time line, and a project needs assessment. What results will their project create to reduce youth violence and improve education?
Review the criteria set by the National Youth Action Council on the Youth in Action Award application.
Inform the group that their solution/project idea, if taken into action, will be eligible for a $1,000 Youth in Action Award! (Past project Award winners can be reviewed on the www.youthlink.org/us web site)
Begin your project!
Report your results via the Youth in Action Award application by March 21st, 2002. Applications can be mailed to our headquarters or completed on-line (if submitted online, signatures must be faxed to 212-661-1933 for confirmation purposes.)
Youth In Action Award Application (.rtf format)
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