Youth United for Change

HISTORY In October of 1991, a group of fifteen youth who had been involved in Woodrock’s drug prevention program founded a new program called Youth United for Change. The goals were to explore the underlying causes of drug abuse, school drop out and other negative behavior. YUC’s members developed and implemented projects which they designed including a newspaper dedicated to providing a voice for teenagers on vital issues such as reproductive health, AIDS, teen-adult relations, education and racism.During the 1992-1993 school year, YUC and young people from two other youth organizations collaborated to challenge the School Board of Philadelphia to involve students on that policy-making body. Their requests were disregarded and dismissed. Having learned from that experience, YUC decided to build an organization so powerful that student voices would be heard by the school district and the city.In pursuit of this goal, in 1993, YUC developed a youth organizing model to cultivate local leadership and empower young people to bring about institutional change within their high schools. Through this model, students come together to form leadership teams in their schools, identify common concerns, and take collective action to address them. Currently, YUC has five chapters: one at Edison, Kensington, Mastbaum, Olney and Strawberry Mansion High Schools.In the Fall of 1996, a group of supporters including alumni, parents, teachers and community leaders, incorporated YUC as an independent organization. On July 1, 1997, YUC operated for the first time as an independent, non-profit organization. Alumni continue to play a role in YUC through supporting students’ organizing campaigns, by holding positions on YUC’s Board of Directors and as hired Youth Organizers.