The Friedman Youth Project Summer Exploration

Every summer, the ACLU-NC Friedman Youth Project takes a week-long field investigation trip to explore a current social justice/civil rights issue of our choice.  Approximately 25 high school aged students are selected to participate.

We travel across Northern California to meet with inspiring activists, leaders, and youth; visit institutions, model programs, and services--and get different sides of the story in the process. 

After each trip, we spend the following year speaking in classrooms, communities, and conferences to pass on what we learned.  We also publish a collection of artwork, writing, photographs, and poems about the impact the trip had on our lives. This year, we are also developing policy recommendations to push for positive change.

The 2008 Summer Exploration Trip topic is: Is Education A Right Or A Privilege? A Youth Investigation into Education (In)Equity and Racial (In)Justice.

The trip will take place August 3-10, 2008. If you are interested in applying for the trip, download the application, fill it out, and attach your answers to it. Then send it all in to us postmarked by Friday, May 23, 2008. In May and June, we will be inviting selected participants to meet with us at the ACLU office in San Francisco. You'll get a chance to meet the program staff and learn more about the trip. We will give the strongest priority to folks who will be high school students in northern California for the next school year, who participate in our meetings this spring & summer, & who demonstrate strong interest in the topic.

Click here to download the Education (In)Equity & Racial (In)Justice Trip Application.

Past trips have explored the following topics:

Military Recruitment, 2007
Economic Injustice, 2006
Juvenile Justice, 2005
Sexism, 2004
War on Drugs, 2003
Immigration, 2002 & 1996
Sex Worker Industry, 2001
Corporate America, 2000
Youth Homelessness, 1999
Tribal Sovereignty, 1998
Juvenile Justice, 1997

“It is almost impossible for me to sum up the youth trip in a few sentences," said 2005 trip participant Dinah Handel, age 17. “I wish that everyone could have an experience like I did so that they could see their place in the world and discover what they need to change.”

To find out about ongoing youth programs and activities, including next year's trip, sign up for our Youth Activist Committee mailing list.