The Young Civic Leaders, a MassVote program, gives youth the tools that they need to become leaders in their communities. Through active participation in trainings, workshops, and project-based learning, Young Civic Leaders are molded into agents of change in their communities. Young Civic Leaders educate, organize and mobilize their peers to be more civically engaged in their neighborhoods.
YCL is an 11-month paid internship for high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Young Civic Leaders commit to working 10 hours a week during the school year and 20 hours a week during the summer. Each participant must maintain at least a C+ grade average. Upon graduation and admission to college, Young Civic Leaders are eligible for a scholarship from MassVOTE.
What makes YCL Unique?
YCLers develop competencies in the following key areas:
Civic Engagement: voter education, voter registration, Get-Out-The-Vote activities and mobilization
Professional Skills Development: relationship-building/networking, grant writing, budget management, event planning and organizing
Community Engagement: organizing, relationship-building with community-based organizations and volunteerism
Media Relations: press releases, T.V. , news paper, and radio interviews
Educational Activities: workshops, field trips, trainings, research and tutoring
In addition, YCL is proud to be a part of BNY Mellon CityACCESS program. Funded by The Bank of New York Mellon’s Charitable Giving Program funded through the generosity of the Arthur F. Blanchard Trust, CityACCESS is a partnership of six community-based organizations offering unique opportunities to high school students called Teen Ambassadors.
For more information, contact Jasmine Hicks (by email at jasmine [at] massvote [dot] org or by phone at (617)542-8683 x 208).
