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ACT ~ Youth Achieving Change Together

> Background

What is Uth ACT?

Our mission statement:
The purpose of Uth ACT is to involve a diverse body of youth in improving our community by supporting, promoting, and funding youth-led service and activism.

Our vision statement:
Improving the voice, visibility, and empowerment of young people in Hampton.

How was Uth ACT formed?
Hampton, VA, was chosen by the National Service-Learning Partnership as one of eight cities nationwide to be a site for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Youth Innovation Fund. Uth ACT provides the unique opportunity for youth-led social action in Hampton.

What does Uth ACT support?
Uth ACT supports youth activism and youth-led change in our community through exploring different action pathways for civic engagement. This year our focus is on youth media activism, youth organizing, youth policy-making, and service-learning.

What is service-learning?
Service-learning is a step-by-step process in which young people identify negative issues that affect them and "bust out" their causes. They collect information and develop projects to improve the issue. Once the project is completed, they focus on what they accomplished and what they learned about the social issues they addressed.

Who supports Uth ACT and what do we fund?
Thanks to the Kellogg Foundation, Hampton's Uth ACT was formed as a youth philanthropy board. Uth ACT is a youth-run grant program that promotes hands-on service based on strategies that address issues identified by, and important to, young people.

How is Uth ACT organized?
We are a large group, with 25 youth and adults, working together. We have four committees: Grants, Communications, Outreach, and Evaluation. Each committee has a Chair and the four Chairs make up the Executive Committee. There is an adult partner with each committee to support us in our meetings.

What is youth media activism?
Youth media activism is using your talents or interest in media (internet, radio, video, television, print) to raise awareness around issues that affect you and your community. The goal is to raise public awareness and encourage action.

What is youth organizing?

Youth organizing involves using your passion to gather people around an issue to research, petition, educate, advocate, with local leaders, protests etc. The goal is to achieve change in a policy or law and get others involved in action.

What is youth policy-making?
Youth policy-making is using your persuasion skills of writing or speaking to convince decision-makers to change a policy or law (something set in stone) to create long-term change.

What is service-learning?
Service-learning is a step-by-step process in which young people identify negative issues that affect them and "bust out" their causes. They collect information and develop projects to improve the issue. Once the project is completed, they focus on what they accomplished and what they learned about the social issues they addressed.

Who supports Uth ACT?
In 2003, Alternatives Inc. was one of eight sites awarded a grant from the W.K Kellogg Youth Innovation Fund (YIF) to develop a youth board with adult consortium partners committed to youth-directed social change. Uth ACT was created by this initiative and continues to receive support from the YIF.

In 2005, the Uth ACT Board secured additional funding from the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation to support the formation of a youth focused coalition to tackle community issues affecting young people.

How is Uth ACT organized?
We are a large group, with around 35 youth and adults, working together. We have three committees: Voice, Visibility, and Empowerment. Each committee has a Chair and the three Chairs make up the Executive Committee. There is an adult partner with each committee to support us in our meetings.

What are the issues Uth ACT supports?
Uth ACT tries to keep informed of many issues affecting young people throughout Hampton. This year, Uth ACT is focusing on issues that support our vision of enhancing the voice, visibility, and empowerment of young people in our city.

Uth ACT members investigate local and external models for youth media activism, youth organizing, and youth policy-making in school structures.

Our consortium of partners include:

• Alternatives, Inc.
• Coalition for Youth
• Hampton Youth Commission
• InSync Partnerships
• Hampton Parks and Recreation
• Hampton City Schools
• United Way

Some of our national partners:

• Youth Venture
• National Service-Learning Partnership
• Academy for Educational Development
• Youth Innovation Fund sites
  

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