There are a lot of places where youth power / youth representation policies are being written up, specifically in the education space for now.
Todos
Identify stakeholders
Collect all current platforms
Understand the status of each policy point (document to fill out)
Add 7Cs of collective impact framing to ensure that questions of community-led, comprehensive, co-creative, equity-centered, well-capitalized, caring, and courageous are part of the platforms
Add Systems Change conditions of it’s not just policies, it’s practices, relationships, resource flows, power dynamics, and mental models/ideologies
Create interview guide to learn from more people
Facilitate alignment of policy points
Current Platforms
The People’s Plan NYC (formerly 2021 Policy Project)
Master Spreadsheet of All Policies and Writing Status
Note: These points are currently in draft mode! Am hoping that one of the things that will come out of YPC exploring all these policies is to move them into the 2021 Policy Project.
- Lower voting age and running age for Community Education Councils to 14 YR (age of employment)
- Remove cap for one student seat on CEC(s)
- participatory budgeting placeholder (The Brotherhood/Sister Sol - Youth Demands)
- mandated student members of SLT (including at middle school level - The Brotherhood/Sister Sol)
- students on PEP with voting rights and specific number (RJPS)
- student elected deputy chancellor (RJPS)
- reporting on youth power / youth complaints (Youth Demands)
A point about civic education is within the culturally relevant pedagogy section and may be helpful to pull into the youth power platform as well.
Youth Demands
Compiled by The Brotherhood/Sister Sol
Full NYC Youth Demands Policy Paper
Youth Power related policy points
- (1) Policy Free Schools: Create voting positions for youth on Community Education Councils, and the Panel
for Education Policy- (2) Fully Fund and Adequately Implement Restorative Practices: Center youth leadership in school implementation plans.
- (4) Invest in Training and Curricula: Institutionalize and fund civic education in all schools.
- (5) Establish Robust Transparency and Accountability: Regarding School Leadership Teams, schools must proactively ensure equitable youth representation; respect and honor youth voices and votes; and create protocol for sharing information with the larger student body
- Student voice is essential and should be uplifted and centered in all school environments. Schools must be required to actively inform the school community of opportunities to be a part of School Leadership Teams. This information sharing will be made directly to the student body and their families in order to ensure a diverse set of voices on a team that directly impacts the school.
- In order to ensure student voices are equally listened to on School Leadership Team, schools must make meeting minutes publicly available.
- Youth Power Reporting: Schools must be required to annually report on the civic power the student population maintains within their schools – especially as it relates to bodies that administer the school budget, mediate school climate, and have decision making power.
The Brotherhood/Sister Sol Liberation Program
Youth to vote for their chancellor, Youth on SLTs at the middle and high school levels (and prepped to be effective on these) and in so being help to craft the budgets for their schools
Youth Power Defense/Offence/Dreaming
Compiled by Peer Defense Project and Youth Power Coalition
Offence
- MS-HS youth vote and sit on CEC (CEC2, CEC4, INCY, YPC)
- Youth vote and sit on PEP (NYU Metro, YPC)
- Youth vote and sit on city council (INYC)
- Register youth with working papers (INYC)
- Bipartisan campaign for “responsibility” for our future“be responsible” (INYC/TED)
- YPC vote on community boards (YPC)
- Youth Public Advocate (NYU Metro? YPC)
- Youth Regent (Board of Regents) (NYP Metro? YPC)
- Elect a Youth Mayor (INYC)
- Build non-profit roles and bylaws that reflect roles not positions and consent based voting (YPC)
Dreaming
- Consent-based distributed decision-making, not majority voting (YPC)
- Get rid of all the “professionalism” and “politics” behind each leadership ROLE (positions are no longer called “positions” but roles)
Racial Justice in Education
Engage youth as key partners in decision-making at all levels
Youth leaders have been on the cutting edge of social justice policy and activism throughout this country’s history; yet, their voices are perhaps the most marginalized. In New York City, youth leaders have organized, made policy recommendations, and attempted to work within the system, but city leadership has consistently ignored their advocacy. As those most directly impacted by the decisions about their education, it is crucial that students have a meaningful voice in shaping their future beyond the existing structures for youth representation that provide only decorative or tokenized opportunities for students.
- Give students voting power on elected community education councils, the Panel for Education Policy, and any other education decision-making bodies.
- Invite students to sit in on faculty meetings related to academics and curricula
- Strengthen youth engagement through a full and built out Borough Student Advisory Council and Chancellor’s Student Advisory Council.
- Implement the first School Diversity Advisory Group report’s adopted “Student Empowerment” recommendations, including developing a student General Assembly with representation from every high school and a Student Leadership Team that meets regularly with the Chancellor
- Provide free unlimited MetroCards for students
- Expand youth-led college access centers using the Student Success Center model
- Provide training and support to schools on student-centered design practices so that they center young people when creating and evaluating programs or courses
- Create a safe space for students to give feedback and criticism to schools, especially students of marginalized identities such as students of color, documented and undocumented immigrant students, and transgender, gender nonconforming, and LGBQ students
- Mandate student representation on the hiring board for new faculty members
School Diversity Advisory Group
Adopted Recommendation Original Recommendation Adopted as proposed. Every school should have the resources for a high-quality student council Adopted as proposed. Borough Student Advisory Councils should be expanded to include seats for student council representatives from every high school Adopted as proposed. A General Assembly should be created with representatives from every high school to develop a citywide student agenda and vote on key issues Adopted as proposed. The Chancellor’s Student Advisory Committee should be transformed into a leadership body that utilizes youth-adult committees to promote authentic partnership Create a Student Leadership Team, comprised of one student from each BSAC to meet regularly (i.e., quarterly) with the Chancellor Create a Student Leadership Team, comprised of one student from each BSAC to meet monthly with the Chancellor Adopted as proposed. Create a new leadership position within the central DOE office to focus on student voice Adopted as proposed. Create a standing committee on high school admissions to advise the Chancellor in decision-making
Public Advocate
Universal Youth Jobs
The cut to New York City’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) due to the COVID-19 crisis was devastating for young people across the City. SYEP provides meaningful, paid employment and professional development opportunities for young people in the City. However, even before the cut to its funding, SYEP only offered jobs to about 75,000 young people every summer, who are chosen by a lottery. All young people should have guaranteed access to paid employment, internships, and professional development opportunities. Universal jobs for young people promote community safety by reducing criminal and juvenile justice involvement, and improve the chances of young people’s future career success.
Could be a place to talk about youth employment in advocacy organizations.
Additional Policies To Add
Community Education Council
Civic education and awareness so young people know of how the CEC works
Training for adults on how to lead intergenerationally
Onboarding process for CEC members + community of support for youth leaders on CECs
Voting to choose representatives (as opposed to superintendent choice)
Commitment to safety measures (e.g. no doxxing)
- Explore idea of having high school students on CECs be chosen for having gone to elementary school / middle school in the district
Stakeholders and contact status
List
Student Voice Manager
Teens Take Charge
Bro/Sis Sol
IntegrateNYC
RJPS
An article I read mentioned that Sarah Andes Director of Programming at Generation Citizen was for lowering the voting age
Dignity in Schools
Urban Youth Collaborative
Girls for Gender Equity
YVote