THE NEW YEAR IS ALMOST HERE!

Our EVEV (Every Voice, Every Vote) project will be wrapping up this fall, but our work in youth driven civic engagement and community inclusion continues!
We remain committed to empowering young people with the education they need to understand their role in shaping the world around them.

Download Our Civic Engagement Youth Activity Booklets
We’ve created downloadable Youth Civic Engagement Activity Booklets—designed to educate and inspire young leaders through creative and accessible tools. These are available for educators, caregivers, and community.

Empowering Voices: Youth Narratives for Educational Justice is VUOTS’ newest project centered on lifting up the lived experiences of young people who are too often left out of conversations about education and opportunity. This initiative brings youth together through storytelling workshops, creative skill building, and documentary interviews that honor their truths and highlight the challenges they face in and beyond the classroom. By supporting young people as they shape and share their own narratives, VUOTS is amplifying youth leadership while pushing for a more just and equitable educational system. This work is part of our ongoing commitment to advocate for Black, Brown, and system-impacted youth and to build a future where their voices guide community change.

A key part of North Philly: A Black Freedom Jawn is our youth-driven storytelling program. Young people are trained and paid to conduct intergenerational interviews with North Philadelphians — capturing memories, wisdom, and community history in their own voices.

VUOTS completed its first youth cohort this year, and we’re excited to welcome our second cohort beginning in January. Registration is now open.

Youth participants earn $15 an hour, with the potential for additional monetary incentives based on participation and project milestones. After training, each participant will also be asked to conduct interviews with elders for an additional $75 stipend. No prior experience is needed — just curiosity, commitment, and a passion for capturing the stories that shape where we live.

If you or a young person you know is interested in joining the next cohort, click the link below to register.