For ten years, Young Voices has empowered more than 600 youth to achieve, succeed, and become confident civic leaders in their communities.
Young Voices is the only state-wide organization that gives low-income youth the tools to have a voice – to master the skills needed to understand an issue, think strategically, speak out articulately and persuasively, and assume roles of leadership.
Young Voices provides advanced leadership training to more than 180 youth a year at five sites across the state, including four of Rhode Island’s lowest performing schools. Through this leadership training, youth gain important skills in public speaking, networking, policy analysis, critical thinking, and the ability to relate effectively with high-level leaders. Young Voices also gives youth the rare opportunity to practice these skills in real life, through working to improve their schools at the local, district, and state level.
Through these transformational experiences, students achieve career and college success far beyond that of their peers. Many of our students are immigrants. They often come to the United States not speaking a word of English. But against all socioeconomic odds, they not only complete high school, but also obtain full scholarships to institutions including Brown, Brandeis, Bentley, Northeastern and Tufts. And they graduate from college in four years, in an era in which graduation rates are measured in six years.
