Young Voices was founded in 2006 to address the desperate need for authentic youth voice in policy making in Rhode Island. What began as a small program, serving 40 Providence youth, has since grown to a powerful statewide model. Through Young Voices’ Leadership Transformation Academy, our organization has provided over 400 youth with intensive leadership development, supporting young people to become skilled leaders who advocate for policy change at the state, local, and school levels.
2015: Young Voices youth conduct a large-scale, state-wide research project about student’s perceptions of discipline practices within their schools. This research reaches 2,000 youth from Providence, Pawtucket and Central Falls. The research is presented to the Superintendent of Providence Schools, with students strongly advocating for funds from the school budget to support restorative practices.
2015: Young Voices’ youth develop a training about Restorative Justice and The School to Prison Pipeline, and facilitate this training for Providence Public School District teachers and youth workers at regional conferences.
2015: Young Voices collaborates with Providence Student Union to create the Providence Youth Caucus, a partnership of 6 of Providence’s strongest youth organizations. In just a year, the youth meet with Governor Raimondo, Mayor Elorza, and Interim Superintendent Maher to push for more personalized learning and improved discipline practices.
2014-2015: Young Voices works closely with district staff to revise Providence’s discipline policy and Code of Conduct, to include restorative practices and limit the use of suspensions
2014: Working as part of a statewide coalition, Young Voices successfully supports the passing of legislature to prohibit the use of a standardized test as a part of school’s graduation requirement until 2017.
2014: Young Voices holds Youth Leadership Summits at both Juanita Sanchez Education Complex and Central Falls High School.
2014: In collaboration with Providence Student Union, Young Voices hosts a Providence Mayoral Forum. At this event, all Mayoral Candidates sign a youth-created platform that focused on student centered learning and discipline issues. The twitter hashtag for the event, #pvdymf, was the number 3 most trending topic that day.
2013: Young Voices students successfully testify at the Providence School Board against the closing of Alvarez High School.
2013: Young Voices’ youth present data and policy recommendations about drop out prevention at Rhode Island’s GradNation summit, one of 105 summits happening nation-wide to inform and inspire action regarding graduation rates.
2013: Young Voices undergoes two independent, outside evaluations through Providence College, which find that our program is uniquely effective at supporting youth to gain necessary 21st Century workplace skills.
2012-2013: Young Voices expands our school-based model, serving Alvarez in Providence and Tolman High School in Pawtucket, and serves over 300 youth state-wide.
2012: Young Voices’ youth testify at State Board of Regents hearings about teacher certification and at multiple hearings at the State House regarding graduation requirements.
2012: Young Voices’ youth testify at State Board of Regents hearings about teacher certification and at multiple hearings at the State House regarding graduation requirements.
2010-2011: Young Voices replicates our turnaround school model at the Juanita Sanchez Education Complex, and serves 120 youth in Central Falls and Providence
2010: Young Voices partners with the ACLU and other community organizations to successfully push back graduation requirements, helping to organize over 300 people to attend the Board of Regents Hearings
2009: Young Voices partners with RI is Ready to get the 1st Education Funding Formula in 15 years. YV also serves on the Race to the Top Steering Committee and helps Rhode Island receive $75 Million in funding.
2008-2009: YV shares its model, training adults in Woonsocket and Central Falls to use the Leadership Transformation Academy. Young Voices establishes the LTA at Central Falls High School, identified as a “Turnaround School” due to low-test scores and graduation rates, to support the inclusion of student voice in that process.
2008: Young Voices’ organizes its first action and brings 100 people to attend Board of Regents hearings; youth successfully testify for stronger teacher standards.
2007: Young Voices’ youth conduct our 1st survey of 1,000 Providence youth, which shows that education is the youths’ main concern, and YV begins to focus on education reform.