The Youth Graduation Empowerment Project (www.YGEP.org) engages students statewide to become researchers, organizers and advocates to meet the challenge of improving schools and communities so more students will graduate. YGEP has put out a “Call to Action” challenging high school, middle school and college students in California to get involved by helping to identify the obstacles to graduation and the strategies that will lead to greater student success.

This information is being collected through a variety of methods, including regional Youth Summits, surveys, web dialogues, blogging and student-produced videos. The results will be used by the YGEP youth leaders to develop and present proposals to policymakers and advocate for their adoption at the statewide Youth Summit on June 14-16, followed by an advocacy program next fall to bring the student recommendations to local and state policymakers. Hopefully youth leaders will see some of their policies become implemented and make a difference by reducing the dropout rate. We have an opportunity to transform education, career preparation and the democratic process, if we guide students to use service-learning and civic engagement to address issues that they care about, with opportunities to advocate for policies that they propose.

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