Transform America!

About Transform America:
"The Mission of Transform America: to create and sustain a social justice movement to make positive, innovative and progressive change. We utilize the synergy between student, non-profit and community organizations to advance human rights by empowering communities.

We do this by having a strategy of shared resources and collaboration. Creating a movement to solve particular issues, we focus on uniting forces to educate others about a topic, bring visibility and press to the problems, recruit activists to work towards a goal, and create a substantial impact in our society."

From the Transform America facebook group:

"Please VOTE VOTE VOTE for Transform America and make a comment about why youth councils are great and why this idea will work

Post a blog comment about Transform America and our work starting Youth Councils. Youth Councils are groups intended to give youths a voice in politics and an opportunity to make change in their communities

A Youth Council is made up of a group of middle and high school students who meet once a week to identify issues of importance and directly affect change in their communities. Youth Councils are run out of city council members’ offices enabling participants to be close to the levers of power and witness how political change is made. Not only do students learn about the political process and how it can be used to better their communities, but they also gain firsthand experience with grassroots efforts. This includes canvassing door to door to raise awareness about issues, holding film screenings, organizing block parties and other such direct actions. Youth Councils conduct research about issues that affect them and their communities and draft policy recommendations. These recommendations are made to the city council as well as their school administrations. This provides a direct youth voice. It allows them to have some influence in decisions that affect their lives and communities. Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito already has a Youth Council that has been very active. In addition to educating tenants about housing rights, starting petitions, and holding workshops for other youth, they have informed their local community board and their councilwoman about issues that concern youth. Community Board 10 is re-establishing their Youth Council and we are helping them recruit kids and institute their program."