Students Inside Albany Conference (SIA) & Local League Youth Programs
The League of Women Voters of New York State believes that educating and empowering the youth of our country is vital to maintaining a democracy. Through the League’s Education Foundation, the State League and many local Leagues operate programs that provide students with the information, motivation, and skills to become informed voters and engaged citizens. The State League’s primary youth program is Students Inside Albany. Email the State League office for more information on any of these programs.
This Conference is an intensive four day training experience held in the spring and is designed to
immerse students in the process by which public policy is proposed, enacted and changed in New York State and educate them as to how they can influence and affect this process. Albany insiders discuss the operations of New York State government including how policy is shaped and enacted. Students develop knowledge of the disparate forces that influence policy development. Additionally, students are afforded the opportunity to observe Assembly and Senate sessions and to shadow both their Assembly members and Senators.
SIA continues to expand and has the greatest involvement by different leagues throughout the state. The LWVNYS provides not only the administration of this program, the materials that leagues can use to find the students to represent the league, but also pays for the entire cost of the four day program for one student from each league with the exclusion of the trip to and from Albany. If any local league wishes to send a 2nd student, there is a cost of approximately $650.00 to cover the expense. Many leagues have used their other youth programs (names, descriptions of these programs, and contact people appear on this site) as a way to identify students to represent them in Albany. Leagues like the LWVNYC have given extra recognition to their representatives.
CITIZENSHIP AND POLITICAL ACTIVISM
Local League: LWV of the North Country
Contact: Suzy Johnson
The LWV of the North Country collaborated with Champlain Valley Educational Services to offer an all-day symposium for area high school students: Citizenship and Political Activism in NYS.
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FIRST VOTE PROGRAM
Local League: LWV of Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties MAL Unit
Contact info: Margie McIntosh
We reached out to 29 local high schools in late spring of 2018 and concentrated our efforts on schools interested in collaborating with us. More than 25 committed community volunteers have attended annual trainings and visited schools to do voter registration.
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HOUSE OF KICKS
Local League: Albany
Contact: Mary Berry
House of Kicks is an annual sneaker sale held in the Albany area. The LWV of Albany trained youth to do voter registration at the event. With youth leading the charge and the League providing the resources, the youth were registering and interacting with other youth and more likely to discuss voter registration.
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PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT
Local League: Rochester Metro Area
Contact: Judy Sternberg
This 40- minute program includes:
RUNNING AND WINNING
Local League: LWV Huntington,
Contact: Deborah Cosher
A full day event, 8:30am- 2:30pm, for high school junior and senior girls. Invite a 6 elected women officials or past officials to speak to the high school girls on why they ran for office, the obstacles they faced, and the successes they have had.
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SPECIAL ELECTION
Local League: LWV of Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties
Contact: Margie McIntosh
At specific voter registration events, we hold a special election to draw people to our table, mostly children, but parents come along!
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STUDENT DAY AT THE SUFFOLK COUNTY LEGISLATURE
Local League: LWV Huntington,
Contact: Deborah Cosher
Suffolk County LWV and the Suffolk County Legislature jointly sponsor the program. They invite several high schools to participate by selecting six to eight students from their school who are interested in a full day “behind the scenes” educational experience into the inner workings of our local government.
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TEACH ME TO VOTE
Local League: LWV of Saratoga
Contact: Deb Peck Kelleher
A video targeted to fifth grade students and designed specifically for the last election. It is just six minutes long but talks about the importance of voting and the ballot proposals.
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VOTE 18
Local League: LWV Huntington,
Contact: Deborah Cosher
Vote 18 is an interactive voting lesson run by a LWV facilitator. They lead the students through the two hundred years plus journey of the history of voting from our country’s inception to the present.
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YOUTH CORPS
Local League: Westchester ILO
Contact: Kathy Meany
The League of Women Voters of Westchester Youth Corps encourages youth, as our leaders of tomorrow, to become active and informed participants in government and to ensure that young adult voices are heard.
READ MORE >>THANK YOU TO THE STATE YOUTH COMMITTEE FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER WITH A SPECIAL THANKS TO: