Elevating Youth Advocacy, Leadership, and Civic Engagement

THE PILLARS OF CIVIC LEADERS ACADEMY

Youth are the future of our society; they are the seeds of our system, nourished through educational and life experiences. Yet their voices are rarely heard in the decision-making process, even for matters that directly impact them. In response to this, The Practice Space created the Civic Leaders Academy, an in-house program for youth ages 10-16, dedicated to fostering student growth and development. The program is centered around the importance of leadership and communication, and their role in creating confident youth capable of contributing meaningfully to their communities.

There are three central pillars of Civic Leaders Academy: advocacy, leadership, and civic engagement. “Our hope for students who participate in the Civic Leaders Academy is that they are able to discuss social issues, develop a critical lens, critique existing solutions, and explore how to inspire positive change through effective communication,” comments Moneek, The Practice Space’s Chief Program Officer. “Students do this by creating a podcast and presenting at a community panel, which helps them not just learn about issues but become advocates for change.”

Below, you’ll hear from coaches and participants on how this program equips youth with the fundamental skills and necessary tools to ultimately shape the world around them.

NAVIGATING AN EVOLVING LANDSCAPE

Educating yourself on current events and knowing how to form an opinion is a powerful life skill. Navigating an ever-changing landscape, however, can be a daunting task. Our Civic Leaders Academy is dedicated to just that. Over the past seven months, participants of the program have been researching issues important to them, and creating a self-produced podcast on their findings. These podcasts cover a wide range of political, social, and interpersonal topics, including “The Dangers of AI”, “Animal Shelters”, “How to Say ‘No’” and more!

“In our podcast, we’re talking about some political issues that we’re going through with the country and how we might have gotten to this point,” says Wjeeha, a participant in the program. “My favorite part about Civic Leaders Academy is that I’m able to get the things that I want to say out into the world.”

To capture their findings, participants of the program must work together to create a podcast. This requires effective communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills— on top of the ability to synthesize information and share it with others. Most notably, participants are using their voices in an exciting, engaging way.

“You are going to need these skills later on in life,” explains Wjeeha. “The world is changing, your community is changing, and you’re going to need these social skills and technical skills to be able to proceed in life.”

ADVOCACY IN ACTION

Advocacy is the fuel that ignites change, and another pillar of our Civic Leaders Academy.

By making advocacy a central focus of our program, participants are learning how to share their stance. They are learning how to communicate with their community. They are learning how to be leaders.

Alex, a coach of the program, weighs in: “Advocacy is very important because there's so many issues that need fixing, and these students are the next generation that is going to be learning and coming up with the solutions to many of these issues.” She continues, “We want the students to understand the issues that they care about and join in the fight to creating the solution.”

Only by fully understanding a problem can we begin to find an answer. Only by speaking up can we create change.

When asked why advocacy is so significant, Jazmin, another program participant, responded, “it’s important to share your voice with other people and put yourself out there.”

Your voice has value. You can be an instrument for change.

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT

Finding good leadership in today’s society is no easy feat, with few positive examples to turn to. Despite this, hope is not lost.

“It's wonderful to see how much the students have grown. They take their roles very seriously, diving into research and editing,” reflects Ryan Miller, The Practice Space’s Coordinator of Elementary Programs and site advisor for Civic Leaders Academy. “The students are all growing into their own style of leadership,” he continues, “It’s amazing to see them become leaders, learning from the mentors who guide them, and applying their own style and ideas.”

At Civic Leaders Academy, the students learn a wide range of skills to help foster their growth as confident speakers and leaders.

“Some qualities of good leadership include listening and teamwork,” says Coach Alex. “In this program, each student is gaining leadership skills. They have to be confident in their own mind, their own ideas, but also integrating the ideas of others.”

Her eyes light up as she adds: “I believe that the Civic Leaders Academy is just one example of how The Practice Space is really stewarding the next generation of leaders.”

CONNECT WITH YOUR COMMUNITY

Support youth voices and future leaders by attending our upcoming Civic Leaders Academy Community Panel on Saturday, April 25th. Participants will present the podcasts they produced and share their learnings in a student-led panel. The event is free and open to the public— everyone is welcome! This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with your community and celebrate student growth. We invite you to listen, learn, and be a part of the change they hope to create.

Join us from 2:00 to 3:30pm on April 25th at The Practice Space office (317 11th St. Richmond, CA 94801). Sign up here— see you then!