Welcome to Youth MOVE PA |
YOUTH ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS
Want to get more involved in youth advocacy at the local or state level?
Check out these advocacy organizations in PA and beyond!
We’re a youth-driven, chapter-based organization dedicated to improving services and systems that support positive growth and development by uniting the voices of individuals who have lived experience in various systems including mental health, juvenile justice, education, and child welfare.
The PA Youth Advocacy Network seeks to provide skills-building and advocacy opportunities for teens who have an interest in mental health.
Minding Your Mind is dedicated to ending stigma and destructive behaviors associated with mental health issues, moving away from a crisis-based response to prevention through education. We use the power of storytelling to provide evidence-based education on mental health challenges to our audiences. Our inspiring programs create safe communication spaces to discuss signs and symptoms often associated with mental health challenges and how to address them.
The Pennsylvania Youth Congress
PYC unites young LGBTQ leaders from across the commonwealth within their schools and communities in order to create a responsive and organized statewide movement. Through connecting and empowering strong advocates, PYC helps ensure that the issues facing young LGBTQ Pennsylvanians are addressed in local and state government.
Pennsylvania Youth Advisory Board
The Pennsylvania Youth Advisory Board (YAB) is comprised of current and former substitute care youth ages 16-21. Youth leaders on the YAB educate, advocate, and form partnerships to create positive change in the substitute care system.
Youth Action produces socially responsible leadership among middle & high school students by providing them with training, socially responsible leadership mentorship, and funding to increase their social awareness of community concerns and lead service initiatives in their communities.
The mission of the YAP Policy & Advocacy Center is to promote policies and influence change that creates or invests greater resources in families and communities as an alternative to out-of-home placement. We advocate for systems to reduce spending on incarceration and other out-of- home placements, which disproportionately negatively impact youth of color. We combat systemic racism and other bias in youth justice, child welfare, behavioral health, and other social services by promoting policies that create an investment in a robust, culturally responsive continuum of care that supports youth and families of color.
Additional Advocacy Resources
- Championing Change Through Advocacy | Voices of Youth: UNICEF'S Youth Advocacy Guide aims to support youth advocates around the world as they progress along their advocacy journeys. The guide is a resource to empower young advocates to gain a deeper understanding of and capacities for advocacy, ranging from meaningfully engaging with policy, researching their advocacy issues, building networks and fostering allies, to embarking on advocacy campaigns, and monitoring their advocacy efforts.
- Advocacy - PSAYDN website: PSAYDN builds relationships with state and national elected and public officials to advocate for out-of-school time funding and resources.
- Youth in the Know | SPAN Parent Advocacy Network (spanadvocacy.org): Resources for youth advocacy from SPAN Advocacy Network.
Youth MOVE PA 2551 Walnut Street Harrisburg, PA 17103 Office Phone: 717.221.1022
Youth Move PA exists in partnership with
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