January 2010
Watch Live: Mikva Students on CAN TV Tonight at 8pm
With just one week until the Primary elections, Mikva youth are out campaigning for their candidates and getting ready to run polling places on Election Day. Meanwhile, our young policymakers are still keeping active, working hard to garner some strong policy wins. Check out our January update to you below!
| YOUTH WORKING ELECTIONS | |
| Watch Mikva Students Live on CAN TV TONIGHT @ 8pm Mikva Challenge's Election Club students will be on CAN TV tonight to comment on candidates running for the Gubernatorial, Senatorial, and Cook County Board President seats. If you want to hear a youth perspective on these races, check out our students on this live show from 8:00-8:25pm tonight on CAN TV - Channel 21. You can also call in and ask the students questions about the election and what it's like doing campaign work. Celebrating Ten Years of Recruiting Student Judges  If you're at your polling place on Election Day (Tuesday, February 2nd), you will probably meet a Mikva Challenge-trained student serving as an election judge. 2010 is our tenth year running the Student Judge Program, and it has never been stronger: we recruited 2,311 high school students to work the polling stations this year (and they'll represent almost 20% of all election judges in Chicago). Mikva Challenge trains judges on the historical importance of election judges and on how to handle challenging voting scenarios they might encounter at the polling place. Our partner,the Board of Elections, trains them on the voting procedure, ballots, and equipment. Like all Mikva programs, the Student Judge Program is a clear reminder to young people (and adults) that, whether or not they are old enough to vote, they can still actively participate in the political process! | |
| YOUTH POLICYMAKING | |
| Announcing the Youth Action Fund On January 18th, Mikva Challenge collaborated with the Chicago Freedom School, Project Nia, and the Crossroads Fund to launch the Youth Action Fund to catalyze youth-led social action in the city of Chicago. Mikva's Education, Youth Safety, and Teen Health Council are providing $30,000 to the Fund, which will be dispensed in the form of mini-grants to support student voice teams working on issues of health, education and safe passage in their schools and communities. Click here for more information.  Martin Luther King Day Peace TrainingIn commemoration of the honorable Martin Luther King, Jr., the Youth Safety Council invited Dr. Bernard Lafayette from the University of Rhode Island to train Chicago students in the Kingian non-violence and direct action philosophy. The two day event, held at DePaul University, brought together over 100 students from North Lawndale, Fenger, and Little Village High Schools. Testifying for Youth Employment Mikva's Out-of-School Time Council has been up and running now for a little over a month and they are already making themselves known in Chicago. Yesterday, representatives from the Council testified at a hearing at the Chicago Urban League, arguing that more funds should be allocated towards youth employment. The event brought together a number of different organizations and media outlets. | |
| ALUMNI | |
| Introducing the Mikva Challenge Alumni Board Welcome, Alumni!  Since Mikva Challenge first opened its doors, over 20,000 students have participated in our programs. Our alumni are managing political campaigns; graduating from competitive colleges and graduate schools, often with degrees in government and political science; becoming lawyers, scientists, entrepreneurs and teachers; and are active community leaders. Mikva established the Alumni Board to create a space for these alumni to participate in the organization's development. The 17-member Board will create networks for reaching out to other Mikva alumni, serve as ambassadors of the organization, and assist Mikva Challenge Staff and Board of Directors with program planning. Click here to read the bios of these amazing young people! | |
It is now 2010, and we have already kicked off the new year with a bang! Thank you for your support and confidence in 2009, we are truly grateful! |
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