Youth Activism Project

There is no minimum age for leadership!

Bethesda, MD   |  https://youthactivismproject.org/

Mission

Our Mission - We spark teen activists and support them in becoming leaders that drive sustained local and global impact. Our Vision - We envision a world where all young people can participate fully at all levels of decision-making. Our core belief is that there is no minimum age for leadership.

Ruling year info

2004

Executive Director

Anika Manzoor

Main address

4701 Sangamore Road Suite 100N #2034

Bethesda, MD 20816 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

75-3163810

NTEE code info

Youth Development Programs (O50)

Alliance/Advocacy Organizations (B01)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Today, we have the largest youth population globally in history yet youth are excluded from decision-making where their voices really matter. The Youth Activism Project believes this generation is not apathetic or disengaged but they lack the support and skills to be influential change agents.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Youth Activists Civic Leadership Program

Our Activation Hub serves as an incubator and convenor for teens who have identified an issue they are passionate about. Our nonprofit provides a supportive community of peers who learn and share a taxonomy of skills, resources and networks to lead effective organizing and advocacy campaigns. Upon applying to our program, teens receive the following our YOUth ACTivism Guide to Change, a self-paced digital course created by teens on how to lead an influential and sustainable campaign. Our digital community, where teen activists can connect online to access additional trainings, resources, and networks, learn from each other, and build on each other's efforts. Currently, our teens are working on a wide range of issues, including education equity and adolescent mental health help. Read below for some examples of our teen-led campaigns.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents
Ethnic and racial groups

Where we work

Awards

Global Youth Volunteer Research Project 2007

Innovations in Civic Participation

Achievement Award 2008

U.N. Youth Assembly

Les Filles Unies Delegate 2012

World Youth Congress

School Girls Unite 1st Place Winner 2013

CNN Malala Yousafzai Essay Contest

Les Filles Unies Delegate 2013

One Young World Summit

Gary M. Blau Professional of the Year Award 2019

Youth MOVE National

Affiliations & memberships

Youth MOVE National Gary M. Blau Professional of the Year 2019

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Lessons from our award-winning model of youth-led campaigns, the Youth Activism Project trains teens to learn essential organizing and movement-building skills that seek systemic change. In five years we hope to have 1,000 teen-driven groups. This is a transformative stage for our national nonprofit with the leadership of Anika Manzoor, our first full-time executive director, who became an activist with us at age 12.

The Youth Activism Project model consists Spark-Train-Connect-Support.

Currently we are seeking youth who are eager to "spark" activism for the upcoming school year using this application process: http://youthactivismproject.org/get-involved/build-a-campaign-with-us/

We will train youth leaders on how to create sustained advocacy campaigns that seek systemic change through. Teens will use our "YOUth ACTivism Guide to Change" and their adult allies will learn our multi-generational collaborative guide.

Through the network we build of youth leaders and other strategic partners, we connect youth activists with other youth and adult activists to strengthen collective action, expand worldview, and enable increased creativity.

We support youth activists as they transition into adulthood with advice on how to communicate their leadership experience and opportunities for additional leadership with the intent to create a path to lifelong advocacy.

We are no longer a volunteer-run nonprofit and now are in the process of building a really talented team. Our new executive director was a co-founder back in 2004 of the Youth Activism Project back when she was in middle school. This recent Harvard Kennedy School of Government graduate is hiring several staff, including our Youth Organizer who is a rising 12th grader and our Outreach & Partnerships Director who is a college sophomore. Our online YOUth ACTivism Guide to Change was co-created with a design team of 12 students from half a dozen high schools.

Since 2004, our nonprofit has tracked the unique influence of young people on policymakers from school boards to city councils. We have collaborated with over 1,000 teens for an average of 3 years to identify issues that they care deeply about and provide them with strategic guidance on how to be changemakers.

Our Annual Reports and blogs posted on our website highlight the breadth of our activities.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback

Financials

Youth Activism Project
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Youth Activism Project

Board of directors
as of 02/22/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Brian Callahan

No affiliation

Term: 2019 - 2021


Board co-chair

Vanessa Garcia

Jonathan Johnson

Hilary Binder- Aviles

Chris Herrera

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes