Youth Do Vote

Last Friday, Youth Do Vote hosted its THIRD Youth Voter & Poll Worker Fest at Trinity University where we gathered close to 400 high school students from around Bexar County (plus Trinity students!) for a nonpartisan celebration of civic engagement. We had students and educators from San Antonio ISD, Harlandale ISD, Northside ISD, Edgewood ISD, Southside ISD, East Central Independent School District, Providence High School, and Keystone School. It was amazing to see their energy and enthusiasm while registering to vote, signing up to be a poll worker, talking to elected officials and local journalists, meeting local nonprofit leaders, and then even taking group photos with the Coyote thanks to Spurs Sports & Entertainment! 💜 Thank you to all of our sponsors, campus and community partners, and volunteers who made this event possible. Thank you to the state and local elected officials who took time out of their busy schedules to hear from local students. It is always a pleasure working with Trinity’s Dean of Students & Director of Strategic Initiatives, Jamie Thompson, Ed.D and I look forward to the next opportunity! Youth DO vote, IF we teach them. #StudentVoice #StudentVote #WeWantYOUthToVote #Nonpartisan #CivicEducation #CivicEngagement

As founder and executive director of Youth Do Vote, I always learn the most from our students and Timothy Potter is a perfect example. As one of our democracy fellows, he had his first commentary published by the San Antonio Express-News last week. Timothy, who is 18 years old and a recent high school graduate from Northside ISD, sheds light on the challenges facing his generation when it comes to voting and elections. But by no means is Timothy deterred from voting in his first election in November. He understands the importance of civic education—and the cost of civic ignorance. Thank you to Melissa Murphy and Josh Brodesky for sharing the #StudentVoice with a broader audience. We know there is plenty more to come from Timothy as he works towards his goal of becoming an investigative reporter. #CivicEducation #CivicEngagement #StudentVoice #StudentVote #StudentJournalism #MediaLiteracy #LocalJournalism https://lnkd.in/gGu6Sm24

Southside High School was one of FIVE high schools we hosted on Help America Vote Day for our Youth Voter (and Poll Worker!) Fest just a couple of weeks ago. In total, 300+ students from FOUR Bexar County school districts attended: Southside ISD, Harlandale ISD, Northside ISD, and Edgewood ISD. High school students engaged in conversations with local elected officials and civic leaders, journalists, election judges, as well as Palo Alto College faculty and students. The RESULTS: Approximately 100 students registered to vote, hundreds of students participated in an election simulation using Bexar County Express Vote machines, election judges recruited student election clerks for the 2024 elections, new partnerships for schools/teacher with local civic engagement groups, lots of #experiential learning and #intergenerational energy! We look forward to hosting even more students/schools/districts at our next event. Will your school/district be represented?? San Antonio ISD? Southwest ISD? East Central Independent School District? South San Antonio Independent School District? NEISD? Judson ISD? #HelpAmericaVote #WeWantYOUthToVote #BeAnElectionHero #ItsNotApathy https://lnkd.in/gj6Dmpxi