The Freechild Institute for Youth Engagement is a nonprofit organization focused on creating connections between adults and young people through programs, technical assistance, publications, training, and curriculum.
Adam Fletcher is the executive director, and the institute is located in
Olympia, Washington.
[Mullahey, R. (2007]
"The FreeChild Project: Youth-led Social Change"
American Planning Association
The American Planning Association (APA) is a professional organization representing the field of urban planning in the United States. APA was formed in 1978, when two separate professional planning organizations, the American Institute of Pla ...
. Retrieved 17 June 2008. The ''
School Library Journal'' has said Freechild's website is, "By far the largest repository of projects, ideas, and organizational links, this resource provides more than adequate information to help students brainstorm ideas in order to start their own initiatives."
History
Fletcher started the organization as "The Freechild Project" in 2001. The organization changed its name to Freechild Institute for Youth Engagement in January 2018.
Activities
The mission of Freechild is "to advocate, inform, and celebrate social change led by and with young people around the world, particularly those who have been historically denied the right to participate. They provide examples and resources to youth and their adult allies." The group advocates "radical democracy."
Freechild believes it is completely unethical to exclude young people from
participating in the actions that affect them most. Their programs include
service-learning, topic-specific workshops and
activist group incubation. The group consults with local and national nonprofit groups in strategic planning, capacity building and product development with
youth empowerment
Youth empowerment is a process where children and young people are encouraged to take charge of their lives. They do this by addressing their situation and then take action in order to improve their access to resources and transform their consciou ...
at the center of their priorities. They also perform networking services through conferences and online communications.
The organization is coordinated by one full-time staff member, offers activities through a network of trainers, and is advised by youth and adult experts from across the US. The website SoundOut.org is one of their projects. The director of Freechild also talks with the media about youth.
[James, Geofferey]
"The Teen Ticket: Are Teenagers Old Enough to Vote?"
Edutopia. Retrieved 17 July 2008.
See also
*
National Youth Rights Association
The National Youth Rights Association (NYRA) is a youth-led Civil and political rights led by Margin Zheng & Ashawn Dabney-Small President & Vice-President of NYRA organization in the United States promoting youth rights, with approximately 10, ...
*
Youth
Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. Y ...
*
Youth suffrage
*
Youth rights
*
Age of candidacy
References
External links
* {{official website, http://www.freechild.org/
2001 establishments in the United States
Youth empowerment organizations
Youth organizations based in Washington (state)
Ageism
Organizations established in 2001