This summer, our office, along with the 47th and 33rd Ward offices are proud to co-host the first ever Youth Organizer Institute (YOI), open to students in all 50 Chicago Wards.
YOI is a free 2 month online program for incoming 8th graders to outgoing seniors designed to teach students the skills to be able to design their own issue based campaign and pitch their ideas as policy proposals to elected officials. Students will work in small groups based on shared interests, and take workshops with professional organizers and electeds on topics such as leadership development, digital organizing, and grassroots fundraising.
We see this as an excellent opportunity for students to learn how policy is built from the ground up, and to apply those skills in real time. You can read more about the program here: aldermanmartin.com/yoi
