Our 2023 Spring program consists of 10-week Advocacy Groups, which provide small groups focused on a chosen topic with guidance from enthusiastic and experienced mentors who are professors, superintendents, doctors, city council members, school board members, etc.

Program Duration: 10-weeks, mid Feb-mid April

Link to Fall study group webpage: https://www.yapadvocates.org/spring-2023

Topics for the 2023 Spring Study Groups:

1. SVSCI (Silicon Valley Senior Citizens Interview) Oral History Project: This project will allow youth advocates to get to know the seniors in Silicon Valley and hear their stories of how businesses were conducted in the early days of Silicon Valley, and the evolution of practices in business. We will interview seniors who started companies or people who helped fund these businesses. We will create interview videos, narratives of their stories, and reflections of students on what they learned.

2. Bring Your Own Utensil (BYOU) Campaign: Only some percentage of plastics produced get recycled and only one-third of recycled waste is actually reused, rather than ending up in a landfill. We can reduce our use of single-use plastics daily. Join us to initiate a “Bring Your Own Utensil” Campaign to bring your own utensils to school lunch and other activities, rather than readily available single-use plastic utensils. We will create videos and guides on the importance of “reduce” in the 3Rs and how to create your own utensil pouches. We will partner with organizations and schools to expand our campaign.

3. Fentanyl Dangers and Solutions: The frequency and prevalence of drug overdose, especially among young adults (age 14-24), has multiplied since common drugs and counterfeit pills are being laced with highly lethal Fentanyl. In order to address this issue effectively we need to research to improve our understanding of what are the issues and factors involved in drug usage, exposure to fentanyl, and potential overdose. In addition, what are feasible and effective solutions that address these problems? Through this research, we can then determine what goals public policy can solve and if/how people can be influenced or nudged by social media messaging. We could summarize research results with papers, infographics, or short videos.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Feb. 20, 2023

Your application will be reviewed by our leadership team and will be judged based on your responses. If you would like to learn more about YAPA, please visit yapadvocates.org, or email us at yapaofficers@gmail.com.