This toolkit was developed by Active Voice and the Marguerite Casey Foundation.

HERE’S HOW THE CREATORS DESCRIBE THIS TOOLKIT:

This toolkit is designed to help young people use Maria Full of Hope as a springboard to identify, understand, and influence the issues that are most important to them. The following pages include facilitation guidelines, discussion questions, exercises for personal reflection and team building, background information on the major issues facing young people, case studies of youth organizing victories, and a host of additional resources. Student leaders, teachers, service providers, and community groups can use this toolkit to guide young people through a path of self-discovery, give them the tools to understand issues that most affect them, empower them with the confidence to address these challenges, and spark action and civic engagement.

This toolkit can be used to:

• Help young people explore their identities and how they fit into the larger social structure.
• Break the ice among peers and support them in building strong, unified teams.
• Spark discussion around the unique needs and concerns faced by young people today.
• Support young people in finding solutions to the issues that most affect them.
• Inspire young people to get more involved in community change efforts, and give them an ‘equal voice’ on par with that of their adult counterparts.