On Wednesday, November 19th, Amanda Ebokosia, CEO/Founder, The Gem Project and CivicsNJ Steering Committee member, Jennymarie Idrobo, Program Associate, The Gem Project and Fatoumata Bah, High School Fellow, The Gem Project shared their deep insight around Authentic Youth Civic Engagement. The Gem Project seeks to decrease barriers to entry in civic engagement for young people, ages 16-24, primarily in Newark, NJ. Through initiatives like developing the Youth-Led Accountability Score Card, The Gem Project demystifies the democratic process, invests in their young people as leaders and gives them ownership, not answers, as they build trusted partnerships with adult allies. Their work is a model for civic engagement outside of the classroom.

You can view a recording of the Exchange here.

For additional information, please see the list of resources below:

Resource: Youth Whitepaper on Mental Health

Youth Whitepaper on Infrastructure

An Emerging Model for Working with Youth: Community Organizing + Youth Development = Youth Organizing

National League of Cities – Authentic Youth Civic Engagement

YouthPowerAction.com – a platform for youth ages 16-24, to self-organize and train each other.