Student Alliance Project (previously the "Papers" Youth Crew)

Vital Stats

Vilma C

Portland, OR

people helped2000000
People Doing It 5000

The Problem

The Student Alliance Project emerged out of the “Papers” Youth Crew, students who helped produce and distribute the documentary film, “Papers: Stories of Undocumented Youth,” which has screened in all 50 states and at the U.S. Capitol. Over 350 youth in the Portland-Vancouver area and 750 youth nationwide participated in the film’s production and distribution and through this the demand for more leadership opportunities became clear. We selected multiple "issues" for this application as immigration, education, labor history and scapegoating were the initial subjects of our film. But in truth, the film and the project were a door into a great number of topics and alliances. The Student Alliance Project is our opportunity to build on these connections between multiple communities, issues and movements. We chose a variety on this application to show the range. As you can see, we note very large numbers of people involved, inspired and helped by the "Papers" Youth Crew, which has developed into the Student Alliance Project. This is because we used documentary film as our medium to make change, develop young leaders and build alliances between movements. As a result, a modest number of crew and volunteers were able to produce the film after which at least 5,000 youth and adults volunteered to host screenings in their states. Over 100,000 people attended those screenings, an estimated 25,000 of whom were moved to take action to help the more than 2 million undocumented youth who currently live in the U.S. without a path to citizenship. These individuals hosted additional screenings, advocated on behalf of undocumented youth and were able to bring the DREAM Act, which would provide a path to citizenship to undocumented youth, before the U.S. Congress in December 2010. Because of their work, the DREAM Act passed the House for the first time since its introduction. The Student Alliance Project, which emerged from the "Papers" Youth Crew, is a youth-led collaboration to cultivate a new cadre of multi-cultural young leaders in Oregon and Southwest Washington equipped to become some of our country's next college graduates, public policy advocates, community organizers, entrepreneurs and mentors. (The film was produced and the Youth Crew was based in Portland, Oregon so we decided to design our model here initially). Students, many of whom had never participated in out of school activities, asked to be involved. They wanted to make a difference, to work collaboratively, meet people outside their social networks and access opportunities, trainings and services that were previously unknown to them. Local funders saw the success of these emerging leaders and the need for continued support and so provided funding to develop a formal and expanded model now called the Student Alliance Project. Emerging young leaders, particularly from underrepresented communities, need consistent, strategic support and concrete opportunities to build their skills so they can move into positions of leadership as community organizers, advocates, board members and elected officials. There are not sufficient youth-led opportunities for immigrant youth, LGBTQ youth, youth of color and low-income students to gain leadership skills and practice them in tangible ways. Additionally students have little exposure to their peers from other schools, income levels and backgrounds. In fact many have never visited each other’s neighborhoods and hold assumptions and prejudices that are soon dismantled when they encounter one another. This project not only helps to build the skills and leadership of underrepresented students and their allies, but develops a dynamic network of youth across the region who would otherwise not know each other. These young leaders have the opportunity to bring issues of concern to them and their communities to the larger network, build alliances and connect their movements.

Plan of Action

We have found that for students to graduate from high school, succeed at higher education and become leaders, requires a combination of health improvement activities, goal setting, skill building and career development. A young person’s sense of agency in his or her own life as well as education level, income level and participation in intercultural collaborations are also integral to an individual’s and community’s good health. Participants in the Student Alliance Project work with mentors to set personal health, education and career goals. They create a personal development plan with incremental steps to obtain short and long term goals, related to education and self-sufficiency. Throughout, students will work on balancing their own cultural or community identity with the differing expectations of home, peers, school, college and work. They explore higher education, entrepreneurship and job skills, public policy advocacy, community organizing and mentoring as well as physical, mental and reproductive health, music, arts and sports. At the same time, participants will be working with peers at their own school and five other schools to develop their leadership, advocacy and community organizing skills. Weekly meetings with their school cohort, monthly meetings among all six cohorts and quarterly camps and summits provide extensive opportunities to network, build alliances and work on concrete efforts to change policy, increase representation among underrepresented young people and build life-long alliances. Six schools each have four leaders, two are current students and two are graduates from that high school who are working or in college. These four leaders then recruit and retain an additional 10 students to be part of that school cohort. These 84 students (24 leaders and 60 student participants) meet regularly to build their teams, share experiences and organize quarterly camps and summits that will be open to approximately 200 additional students each year. These are young leaders who were actively involved in the "Papers" Youth Crew and have shown a commitment to their own growth specifically and to social justice more broadly. They are young people who want to expose themselves to people from different backgrounds, are willing to make a commitment of time and energy and want to become leaders themselves.