Posted February 26, 2024
YAASPA is a non-profit organization that endeavors to build the self-efficacy of youth who desire to make change in our communities, and pursue social science degrees, and social justice careers. Our mission is to encourage and support disengaged and underserved youth to participate in their communities socially and politically, in order to make changes within the community. To create political and social awareness regarding issues that directly and/or adversely affect our communities, it is necessary to be educated. Through activism and education, we can redefine the standards that have been placed upon us. Our vision is to cultivate youth to be civically engaged in community and career!
Every semester, YAASPA youth engage in what we call a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) project on their social justice issue of choice. This academic year, the YAASPA Denver Youth Coalition (DYC) is currently researching the Denver Public Schools (DPS) history curriculum standards in hopes of ending the whitestream curriculum ways of teaching. In doing so, we hope this encourages DPS students to utilize their critical thinking skills to navigate a world that continues to challenge them in every aspect of their lives. We urge all students from any school district to join the youth coalition space, as we believe that learning about civic engagement is an essential part of a student’s life. If you have any youth who are interested in joining our youth coalition, please have them contact our Director of Youth Development, Chelsea Situmeang chelsea.situmeang@yaaspa.net (720) 323-8507 who oversees the onboarding process of youth entering the YAASPA organization.
In addition to this, YAASPA is also seeking youth who may be interested in opportunities in volunteering, paid internships, and/or work-based learning who are in 8th-grade middle school, high school, or undergraduate college students, YAASPA offers different programs for youth to start building their rapport to become potential interns. If you have a youth who is interested in participating in our Denver Youth Coalition or have questions, please complete this application bit.ly/yaaspabaselineassessmentsurvey. Or, feel free to contact our Director of Youth Development, Chelsea Situmeang chelsea.situmeang@yaaspa.net (720) 323-8507. Thank you for taking the time to read my email.