Alexandria United Teens Youth organizing has always been a major part of TWU’s work. We began by sponsoring the Arlandria Youth Group (AYG). In the early 1990's, AYG fought for and won the first bilingual high school counselor in Alexandria City Public Schools and in-state tuition for immigrant students at Northern Virginia Community College. In response to growing interest and a void of opportunity for young people of color, TWU created Alexandria United Teens (AUT) in 2001. Our goal with AUT is to arm these young folks with the skills, understanding, and political perspective to be a force for change in their community. We accomplish this through learning series, internships, and active participation in community organizing campaigns. Our youth programs include:
Summer Youth Institute: Four week series of workshops and field trips for low-income youth (mostly Latina and African American girls). Workshops cover topics such as current events/political theory, culture through art and dance, organizing basics. They are facilitated by local artists and volunteers. Youth are taken on a number of field trips to area colleges and museums.
Community Building Internships: Six week paid internship at TWU. Interns work with community organizers to implement project and campaign programs.
Community Organizing for Democracy and Education (COED): COED is a seven year program for 10th graders committed to working with their community, winning justice, and making their community stronger and healthier. Successful applicants receive a full college scholarship and a year of employment upon graduating from college.
Youth involved in our projects are instrumental in campaign work too. Our current campaign is the College Prep for All Campaign:
Access to quality education and future success remains a priority for Alexandria youth. AUT successfully waged a campaign to win get another guidance counselor at T.C. Williams High School to meet with students and help them plan out their education; but this alone did not solve the problem, so youth leaders developed and conducted a survey of area high schools students in 2005 to understand why students of color are overrepresented in high-school drop out rates and underrepresented in "advanced" classes. Using this survey, the youth began to identify systemic problems in the Alexandria City Public Schools.
Working with the Advancement Project and Professor Tony Samara from George Washington University, students developed recommendations for improvement and a concrete plan of action, the Personalized Education Action Plan. They released their findings in the 2007 report, Obstacles to Opportunity and began the College Prep for All Campaign to put all students in ACPS on the path to success.
Summer Youth Institute: Four week series of workshops and field trips for low-income youth (mostly Latina and African American girls). Workshops cover topics such as current events/political theory, culture through art and dance, organizing basics. They are facilitated by local artists and volunteers. Youth are taken on a number of field trips to area colleges and museums.
Community Building Internships: Six week paid internship at TWU. Interns work with community organizers to implement project and campaign programs.
Community Organizing for Democracy and Education (COED): COED is a seven year program for 10th graders committed to working with their community, winning justice, and making their community stronger and healthier. Successful applicants receive a full college scholarship and a year of employment upon graduating from college.
Youth involved in our projects are instrumental in campaign work too. Our current campaign is the College Prep for All Campaign:
Access to quality education and future success remains a priority for Alexandria youth. AUT successfully waged a campaign to win get another guidance counselor at T.C. Williams High School to meet with students and help them plan out their education; but this alone did not solve the problem, so youth leaders developed and conducted a survey of area high schools students in 2005 to understand why students of color are overrepresented in high-school drop out rates and underrepresented in "advanced" classes. Using this survey, the youth began to identify systemic problems in the Alexandria City Public Schools.
Working with the Advancement Project and Professor Tony Samara from George Washington University, students developed recommendations for improvement and a concrete plan of action, the Personalized Education Action Plan. They released their findings in the 2007 report, Obstacles to Opportunity and began the College Prep for All Campaign to put all students in ACPS on the path to success.