Youth Policy Making

At Mikva, we believe that youth deserve a place at the table of city and school leaders who make public policy that significantly affects Chicago youth. Through Mikva’s school- and city-based youth policy councils, we hope to:

create structures within city government that incorporate youth input in policymaking and budget deliberations;
connect a broad base of youth to adult decision makers via the youth councils;
positively affect policy; and,
develop a cadre of strong youth leaders committed to public service and activism both now and in the future.

Our policymaking programs include:

Peace and Leadership Councils

Peace and Leadership Councils (PLCs) currently operate in five high-need Chicago high schools: Bowen, Sullivan, Little Village, EPIC, and Julian. The young people in Mikva’s school-based PLCs research issues in their school, create recommendations for school change and serve as advisory councils to their principals and school administrators.

Chicago Youth Councils

Education

The Education Council (formerly the Youth Innovation Fund) is composed of 15 youth from high schools across the city and advises the CEO of Chicago Public Schools. Education Council members also convene to train both youth and adults on issues including security in Chicago Public Schools, creating successful youth-adult partnerships and empowering students to improve their schools.

During summer 2010, the Education Council members were charged with developing recommendations about how to use 21st century technology to improve the rigor, relevance, and relationships of high school. The council's 53-page report discusses the use of technology to improve teaching, communicate between students and teachers, improve students' learning, foster positive school culture, and other areas. Click on the link below to access the Education Council 2010 report, "Bringing Chicago Public Schools into the 21st Century"
Bringing_Chicago_Public_High_Schools_to_21st_Centu (1025 KB)

Also, click here to check out the video the students made to document the process of developing their 2010 report.

Teen Health

Formed in the summer of 2008, the Teen Health Council meets weekly to research, debate and report on policy recommendations that significantly impact youth on issues ranging from nutrition to mental and sexual health. The Teen Health Council works in collaboration with the Chicago Department of Health.

The Teen Health Council is currently working closely with CLOCC (Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children) and Healthy Schools Campaign to create a comprehensive strategy to combat the growing obesity rate amongst Chicago high school students.

This past summer, the Teen Health Council focused their research on the media's portrayal of risky behavioral practices by young people. In response to their findings, the council produced four Public Service Announcement style videos, in a series called Untold Truths, to counter the message portrayed in the media. Click here to see the series.

The Teen Health Council also prepared lesson plans to accompany the videos in their series. Read their lesson plans below:
Teen_Heatlh_Coucil_PSA_Workshop_Guide_2009.pdf (360 KB)

Youth Safety

The Youth Safety Council focuses on ways to decrease violence in Chicago schools and communities by promoting youth safety. Through intensive research on the root causes of violence, the 15 students on the Safety Council seek to make youth part of the solution, and not an obstacle, to decreasing violence in Chicago.

The Youth Safety Council spent the summer surveying young people in Chicago about causes and solutions to youth violence, doing research on violence in many Chicago neighborhoods, and visiting a number of community organizations that are trying to combat the problem in order to assess and develop tools for training peace workers. Their report, Blueprint for Peace, is available here: YSC_Blueprint_for_Peace.pdf (131 KB)

The Council's is currently working on establishing a Safe Passage Fund to support projects focusing on students' safe passage to and from schools. They are also working with the city to create peace trainings for the various peace workers (teachers, students, parents, security guards, and others working to combat youth violence) in Chicago.

Out-of-School Time

Last summer, the Department of Family & Support Services asked Mikva Challenge to create a fourth citywide youth council to focus on out-of-school time and youth employment. Launched in the fall of 2009, the Out-of-School Time Council is working closely with the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services, and its Commissioner, Mary Ellen Caron. The OST Council has partnered with a few organizations in Chicago to advocate in support of the Youth Jobs Act of 2010. Please click here to learn more about this council.

Programs