Youth Policy Action Center Tools and Techniques for Collaboration on Advocacy September 9, 2005 Youth Policy Action Center © 2005.

Youth Policy Action CenterTools and Techniques for Collaboration on

AdvocacySeptember 9, 2005

Youth Policy Action Center © 2005www.youthpolicyactioncenter.org

David B SmithFounder and Executive Director,Mobilizing America’s Youth

Executive Committee Vice-Chair,Youth Policy Action Center

www.youthpolicyactioncenter.org

[email protected](202) 736-5703

Youth Policy Action Center © 2005

The Need

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

AARP CombinedYouth

AdvocacyEfforts

Children'sDefense Fund

NationalCollaboration

for Youth

0

5000000

10000000

15000000

20000000

25000000

30000000

35000000

AARP Leading YouthConstituencies

Annual Budget of Advocacy Efforts(in millions of dollars)

Size of Constituencies

Advocacy Spending Translates

www.youthpolicyactioncenter.org Youth Policy Action Center © 2005

The Need

Young people need a single place to

• Learn about issues they care about

• Find public policy affecting their lives

• Take action immediately


Summary of Needs• Better organized, more vocal constituency

that contacts elected officials

• A way for young people to connect, be involved,and participate in democracy

How Far Could we Get by Aligning Efforts?

Youth Policy Action Center © 2005

http://www.madd.org/home/

http://www.theantidrug.com/

http://www.100percentcampaign.org/index.htm

The Potential from Working Together


• Create a collective website to feature action alerts in one place

• Brand the site neutrally• All-partisan approach so all

youth and advocates can feel included

• Governance is collaborative• Jointly populate/publicize site• Power with Capwiz

(powerful online advocacy solution)


Our Solution

Our History

• Fall 2004, Capital Advantage’sYouth Civic Engagement Award

• Coalition Meeting to Talk aboutCollaborative Uses of Technology

• Launched on April 18, 2005 with aRenewed Year of Pro-bono Capwiz

• 37 National Organizational Members








Our SuccessesIn the first 100 days• 375,000 hits• 30,000 visitors• Thousands of

messages sent to Congress

Featured in• PoliticsOnline (Hotsite)• Philadelphia Inquirer


Our Expansion Plans

• Local/State Outreach– Launching October 15,

2005• American Activist

Competition– Partnering with APPLE

• Additional Resources– Clearinghouses– Blog/Discussion Board– Featured In-depth Alerts






How to get involved

• Apply to be a Member

• Link from Your Website

• Visit YPAC and Take Action


[email protected]


Membership Benefits

• Free access toCapwiz XC software

• Free publicity from partnering organizations’ networks

• Join a non-competitive, collaborative effort


[email protected]


Connecting the Beltway, Grasstops and Grassroots

• Connects national “inside-the-beltway” organizations

• Opens door for “grasstop” orgs to join as state/local members

• Provides “grassroots” youth advocates opportunity to take action and be heard (American Activist Competition)

• Integrates all of these critical levels of perspective and action with each other so dialogue and action can intermingle and barriers can be removed


Tools and Techniques for Collaboration on Advocacy



[email protected]

Youth Policy Action Center Tools and Techniques for Collaboration on Advocacy September 9, 2005 Youth Policy Action Center © 2005.

Documents

orgyouth policy action

action alerts

aboutfind public policy

needyoung people

organizations networksjoin

executive director

b smithfounder

summary of needs