YouthAction Members (YAMs) are high school students who have completed the YouthAction Community Leadership Course (YCLC) and want to use the skills they learned to continue to advocate with us.
Throughout the school year, YAMs develop and lead research and advocacy projects that support CCC’s mission to ensure every child is healthy, housed, educated, and safe.
YAMs meet Wednesday afternoons from 4:00 to 6:00 PM at CCC’s office in Manhattan.
Past advocacy projects include:
- Creating a public service announcement about how to enroll for food stamps
- Organizing a film screening and panel discussion on commercially sexually exploited youth
- Facilitating a youth forum on cyber-bullying
- Attending rallies, protests, and press conferences on issues such as after-school funding
- Meeting with New York State Senators and Assembly members in Albany
- Coordinating a photography and performing arts exhibit to explore issues of community violence
- Holding a food donation drive and performing community service at local soup kitchens
- Writing letters and testimony for public hearings on issues that affect New York City youth
Experienced YAMs can also become Peer Trainers.
Read more about YAMs projects on the YouthAction NYC Tumblr page. All posts are written by members of YouthAction NYC!
You can also follow YouthAction NYC on Facebook.
“While advocating with CCC in Albany, I got to meet my State Senator. It was such a great experience to be able to talk to him. It was exciting to walk through the Capitol building where so many important decisions are made, and also inspiring to be around such powerful people.” –Kimberly Ortega, YouthAction Member (YAM) since 2011
For more information contact Laura Jankstrom, YouthAction NYC Program Coordinator, at ljankstrom@cccnewyork.org
