Step Up
ATTENTION ALL YOUTH!
Are you motivated and interested in social change? Are you an activist, artist, or organizer with great ideas to share? Are you down for young people and for creating meaningful change in your life and community? Then ICAH may be for you!
ICAH is a safe space for youth to:
- Develop leadership and advocacy skills
- Gain knowledge about social justice and sexual and reproductive health
- Educate the media, policy makers, and general public on issues important to you
- Make new friends and offer support to peers
- Share information, ideas, and talents
- And more!
Here is a selection of the youth trainings we offer:
- Sexual Health 101
- Policy and Advocacy
- Lobbying Your Legislator
- Messaging: Getting Your Voice Heard
- How to Facilitate Effective Meetings
- Giving Public Presentations
- Strategic Planning and Action
- Activist Training
ACTION OUT LOUD! SUMMER TRAINING CAMP
A weeklong, daytime youth advocacy training camp in downtown Chicago, Action Out Loud! is designed for youth ages 14-20. You’ll receive in-depth trainings in sexual and reproductive health, young parent, and social justice issues. In addition, you’ll participate in skill-building workshops on organizing, message development, public speaking, youth-adult partnerships, power dynamics, media relations, and more. With help from experienced adults and youth leaders, you’ll use what you’ve learned to develop your own plans for action.
YOUTH SPEAKOUT!
The Youth Activist Network is an online e-newsletter written by and for young people to support young social justice activists in their skill-building and leadership development. The network facilitates open communication among youth, ICAH staff, and other advocates, building a system to share information, resources, and online tools and to mobilize people for short- and long-term initiatives. Subscribe to the Youth Activist Network!
YOUTH ACTIVIST PROJECTS
Apply what you learn in our trainings by participating in a youth activist project! Create and implement a project that’s important to you. ICAH provides the specific trainings, meeting space, and general guidance and support to achieve your goals. Current projects include:
- Condom Access Project. Making condoms more readily available increases their use and reduces the rate of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. This project aims to enhance student access to condoms in school settings, including school health centers and nurses’ and counselors’ offices.
- Illinois Youth Policy Council. The council works statewide to develop and implement grassroots strategies to gain constituent and legislative support for responsible sexual health education. Members organize, advocate, and lobby for policy reform by creating and facilitating peer-to-peer networks, trainings, and actions.
- Reproductive Justice and Access Project. Through community forums, the group aims to educate people about the reproductive justice framework and movement. The group explores the meaning of reproductive justice and its influence on various communities by analyzing the effects of parental notification for abortion and the Hyde Amendment – the restriction of federal funding for abortion – on adolescent and low-income women.
- Sexually Transmitted Infection Project. The STI Project works to increase awareness of common STIs that disproportionately impact young women, among other groups. Led by ICAH youth organizers and staff, this project facilitates community discussions in four Chicago neighborhoods, focusing on four common STIs: HIV, herpes, human papilloma virus (HPV), and gonorrhea. These workshops also provide information to youth on prevention, testing, and associated sexual health issues.
- Young Parent Alliance. This group of pregnant and parenting youth and allies, ages 20 and younger, advocates for programs and services in Chicago Public Schools that help young parents complete their education. YPA also develops ideas to increase public awareness of the challenges young parents face in their schools and communities. ICAH provides child care stipends to YPA members who participate in meetings and events.
To learn more or get involved in our youth events and projects, contact organizing coordinator Sunyata Altenor or call 312.427.4460 x232.
