Tools for Young People & Social Change

INTRODUCTION: Young people, community workers, classroom teachers, organizers, and others are often left lurching around the Internet looking for tools to promote youth activism, social awareness, social change, and more.

POINT TO PONDER: "Involving young people in decisions is a way of showing respect, of saying their opinions and ideas count. To accomplish this, both youths and adults will need adequate preparation and training." - from here.

Guide to Social Change Led By and With Young People

FireStarter Youth Empowerment Program

By A. Fletcher. This is a massive compendium of activities for youth and facilitators who want to empower young people to take action. Includes dozens of topics and action items, and is completely available online.

So, You Wanna Be a Playa? The Freechild Project Guide to Cooperative Games for Social Change

By A. Fletcher with K. Kunst. This short booklet provides an insightful tool to help community workers, teachers, and activists of all ages incorporate initiatives, teambuilders, "funners," and closing activities into their work for social change.

Navigating International Meetings: A pocketbook guide to effective youth participation

This guide gives concise information about the structure and process of United Nations meetings, looks at the different avenues available to youth for participating, and offers practical information for surviving a large meeting. The Guide also touches on important questions regarding the impact of international meetings on the local, national, and international level that every past and potential participant should consider.
 

SHINE Action Guide. Wanna make a difference but don't know where to start? The SHiNE Action Guide is here to show you some ways to take action and stand up to youth violence and discrimination in your community. You'll find cool projects, tips and other valuable resources so you can take action.

Youth Service America's PLAN IT! Project Planning Guide

Project Plan-It! is an easy interactive series of questions and templates that allow you and your friends to plan your service project or program. At the end, you will be able to print out your own Project Plan, Funding proposal, Press Release, Service-learning reflection plan, and other helpful resources.

Kids Can Make a Difference

An educational program for middle- and high school students in Maine that focuses on the root causes of hunger and poverty, the people most affected, solutions, and how students can help. The major goal is to stimulate students to take follow-up actions as they begin to realize that one person can make a difference. KIDS and World Hunger Year (WHY) publishes Finding Solutions to Hunger: Kids Can Make A Difference.

Turn up the volume: The Students Speak Toolkit

The Students Speak Toolkit guides students, educators, school board members, parents and others in planning and carrying out strategies for listening to students in order to improve their school experiences, including academic performance, school climate, and school safety. By Roberts and Kay for the Partnership for Kentucky Schools.

Listening to Student Voices: A Self-Study Toolkit

By M. Keilburger and C. Keilburger.  An easy-to-use guide that provides young people with a readily-accessible plan for action.  Includes 7 steps to get involved, and a large "how-to" section for new activists.

The Kid's Guide to Social Action

By Barbara A. Lewis. This is the first book of its kind to give a hopeful, energetic picture of young people taking action for social change. Features 10 steps for kids to take action, a long list of issues young people are addressing, and important how-tos.

Youth!: The 26% Solution

By Wendy Lesko.  This easy-to-read book provides a broad overview of young people taking action around the US in a variety of areas, and includes resources, tips, and stories to motivate action.

The Future Is Ours

Reading, Writing, and Rising Up: Teaching About Social Justice and the Power of the Written Word

By Linda Christensen. This book helps teachers who want to teach for change and action. It joins a small collection of books about using pedagogy for social justice by writers like bell hooks, Paulo Freire, Ariel Dorfman, and others. Reading, Writing, and Rising Up is an welcome addition to a continuing conversation.

It's Your World - If You Don't Like It, Change It - Activism for Teenagers

By Mikki Halpin. This book includes the basics of activism, project ideas, and how to be an activist at home, at school, and throughout your community. There are stories from young people around the world, and lots of resources.

Equal Partners: Organizing "For Youth by Youth" Events

By UNICEF. Today’s young people are in a unique situation. Organizations, governments, and the population at large are recognizing that it’s absolutely vital to involve them in planning and organizing events and projects for young people. They are taking notice of not only what young people have to say, but of their awesome capabilities too. It can be challenging for adults to work side by side with young people. Young people are often unfamiliar with adult work settings, structures, and systems, which adults often manage easily, without thinking. While it’s true that young people lack the experience to fully comprehend the adult world, it’s also true that adults do not understand young people as they understand themselves. This guide is intended to support what, for many adults, will be a new way of working with youth. It will also assist young people in developing and running youth-focused events.

The Declaration of Accountability on the Ethical Engagement of Young People and Adults in Canadian Organizations

By First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada. This document shares a wide-ranging perspective of youth involvement, calling for organizations and communities to see beyond past activities and to identify and practice powerful ethical approaches to engaging youth. Despite the reference to Canadian organizations, this document is useful communities around the world.

WHOLE COMMUNITY & SOCIAL CHANGE

COMMUNITY TOOLBOX - The Tool Box provides over 6,000 pages of practical skill-building information on over 250 different topics. Topic sections include step-by-step instruction, examples, check-lists, and related resources.

OxFam America's Just Add Consciousness: Guide to Social Activism - This guide provides some basic strategies for activism. Before using any of these strategies, be sure that your group/organization has already done some groundwork, including researching and educating yourselves on the issue; identifying key people and institutions you are aiming to influence; setting clear, focused, and realistic goals and objectives.

MLK Day of Service Toolkit - Includes lots of ideas for project, building partnerships, working with volunteers, working with the media, organizing projects, and follow up tips, as well as lots of other useful tips for all around the year, especially MLK Day.

Visit our friends, allies and partners: