XQ Youth Voice Kit

Imagine you felt
empowered
to organize and
create change in
your high school.

Creating change is a process but it’s possible. The Youth Voice Toolkit is a comprehensive resource designed to support high school students to drive change within their high school communities.

What does “change” mean?

Moving from a current state to a desired state, grounded in an issue of importance to you or your high school community.

What does “changemaking” mean?

Actioning a change process— ”creative” action to solve a social problem.

What does “high school community” mean?

Every high school is a complex community of students, teachers, administrators, staff, families, and community members. All can be involved in making a high school work better for its students.

What you’ll do:

Learn

Learn about yourself and your high school community. Find others and identify an issue you care about.

  1. Understand yourself
  2. Explore people and power
  3. Build the change team
  4. Discover the change
  5. Research the change
  6. Reflect

Plan

Plan to take the change effort you’ve identified from idea to reality and shape a vision.

  1. Craft the vision
  2. Build the plan
  3. Prepare the plan for reality
  4. Reflect

Act

Press go on the effort! Take initiative, build skills, and carry out your effort.

  1. Plan a kickoff
  2. Tell the story
  3. Build partnership and support
  4. Present the case for change
  5. Reflect

Learn

Learn about yourself and your high school community. Find others and identify an issue you care about.

  1. Understand yourself
  2. Explore people and power
  3. Build the change team
  4. Discover the change
  5. Research the change
  6. Reflect

Plan

Plan to take the change effort you’ve identified from idea to reality and shape a vision.

  1. Craft the vision
  2. Build the plan
  3. Prepare the plan for reality
  4. Reflect

Act

Press go on the effort! Take initiative, build skills, and carry out your effort.

  1. Plan a kickoff
  2. Tell the story
  3. Build partnership and support
  4. Present the case for change
  5. Reflect

How to use the Toolkit

There are three distinct pieces to this Toolkit that all work together: this website, a Companion Guide, and a Case-making template. Getting started is fast and easy.
Follow the step-by-step guidance on this website and look for this icon throughout for corresponding exercises in the Companion Guide.
Open the Companion Guide now. You’ll use this simultaneously with the website.
Open Guide
Or, download a PDF version here
When it is time to present your motivating case for change, you can use the Case-making Template to prepare.
Follow the step-by-step guidance on this website and look for this icon throughout for corresponding exercises in the Companion Guide.
Open the Companion Guide now. You’ll use this simultaneously with the website.
Open Guide
Or, download a PDF version here
When it is time to present your motivating case for change, you can use the Case-making Template to prepare.

Start your journey!

BEGIN

arrow Before you begin, don’t forget to open the 
Companion Guide in the section above!