Youth Advisory Council

Who: The YAC is comprised of young people from across the continent dedicated to creating change in their communities and inspiring others to do the same.

How: DoSomething.org strives to encompass a wide range of opinions and life experiences reflected and influenced by its Youth Advisory Council members. DoSomething.org staff and current YACers review the applications and select new members.

When: DoSomething.org and YAC members connect by responding to a three question every other Monday via email and text. YACers receive SWAG for responding to these questions. The more questions you respond to, the more t-shirts and SWAG you get.

Why: While DoSomething.org utilizes focus groups and teen marketing experts, this information isn't merely informative. It is vital to the success of the organization that a group of teens are actual stakeholders in the organization, helping to influence the organization's direction and to keep us up to date with what's hot and what's not.

DoSomething.org is committed to giving young people opportunities to make a difference. It is important to present a forum for youth to speak about and participate in the planning, policy development and evaluation of program services. Creating and truly utilizing the input of the YAC are additional means of giving youth the chance to participate in changing the world.

What: Reviewing programmatic direction and decisions of the organization.

Examples Include:

• Assisting in the determination of ideal logos, images, and campaign concepts. For example, the YAC designed the “hot chocolate stands for something” campaign.

• Helping with the selection of DoSomething.org grant winners. The Youth Advisory Council reads applications and flags their favorites.

• Reviewing the word choice(s), celebrity targets, and website content. The Youth Advisory Council keeps DoSomething.org “on brand.” A veritable “teen police,” the YACers keep DoSomething.org fresh, relevant, and appealing to the target market.

• Representing the DoSomething.org Advisory Council at meetings, conferences, and in the community at large; YACers act as the official youth “ambassadors” for DoSomething.org.

Where it counts: While the YAC helps DoSomething.org, the YACers also benefit. By participating in the Youth Advisory Council, young people develop skills they can use throughout their lives, such as decision making, working with a team, presentation skills, developing creative ideas, and gaining knowledge about governance and its ability to impact communities.