About the Program
Alianza’s Youth Organizing Council (YO-C) prepares young people to be the Eastern Coachella Valley’s future leaders by helping them put their values into words and their words into actions. Students will gain the tools, knowledge, and experience necessary to make a difference in their communities.
Successes
Members of YO-C learn about local issues and work alongside Alianza’s diverse coalition of community organizers to raise awareness about and take steps to address systemic inequity and injustice. YO-C members have planned community events and successfully advocated for better schools and a cleaner environment.
Founded The Hue Music & Arts Festival,
an annual festival where activism is portrayed through art.
Established the first Eastern Coachella Valley LGBTQ Pride Festival.
Successfully advocated for wellness centers at all schools
in the Coachella Valley Unified School District.
What You’ll Learn
YO-C members will learn community organizing and leadership skills and be able to apply those skills to solve real world issues, such as:
- How to understand and influence local policy
- Written & oral communication skills
- Community event planning
- Advocacy and organizing best practices
The Commitment
If you are interested in joining YO-C, applications will open at the beginning of the school year and participation will be from September until June. As part of the YO-C cohort, members are expected to:
- Be within the ages of 14-18
- Attend monthly cohort meetings
- Participate in organizing The Hue Music & Arts Festival
- Be open to exploring their advocacy voice
- Be inclusive and respectful to all YO-C members and program staff
Interested but have Questions?
Reach out!
See YO-C in action!
YO-C members attend the first ever Youth Leadership Conference in the Eastern Coachella Valley, hosted by Alianza.
YO-C organizes and hosts the annual Hue Music & Arts Festival.
Youth played an important role in getting community members to fill out the 2020 census.
Youth can win scholarships at the annual Kermes, a soapbox speech competition.
Students in YO-C build their own air filtration device from easy to find objects.
Youth practice their public speaking skills at The Hue Music & Arts Festival.
Apply to join YO-C today!
Are you ready to join your peers in building your leadership skills? Fill out the application and submit your signed consent form. Once you have applied, you will hear back from us shortly. We look forward to meeting you!